FateRed Night
by ShadowAce117
Summary: When Misuzu Kusakabe uncovers a book from her families' past, she discovers a whole different world. Trudging through despair and chaos, she is aided by a man with a red spear, and finds an friend in the most unsuspecting of places, the Homurahara's 'Student Janitor'. A Distorted Hero allies with an Onmyoji Protector in the midst of the 5th Holy Grail War. AU.
1. Prologue

Prologue

* * *

She examined the earrings. They were dull silver, having lost what was once a fine shine through the ages. They were each composed of two parts. The first was a slightly conical downward pointing bead. The second was another closely hanging bead of about two inches in length, formed in a long oval. It was a curious piece of history, based on what her mother had told her.

Apparently one of her ancestors was more willing to leave Japan than the rest of the family was. He had chased a rather difficult demon all the way to Ireland, where he received the help of a rather interesting spearman. After what was said to be a particularly intense battle, the spearman gave the ancestor this set of earrings as a token of his appreciation for the deed.

And they wound up in a drawer where Misuzu Kusakabe found them just minutes ago. The story would normally seem unbelievable to a regular high school student, but to an onmyoji of her family, such stories were not only common place, but true.

She was now examining them in her room, inside her mother's villa, on the outskirts of Fuyuki City. She was not from this city, and sighed as she took a moment to reminisce on past events. She had arrived only a few short years ago after her family chased her out of her home as they sought revenge for her… impudence, they might say.

Her father had shunned her. He had wanted a strong and powerful son to lead the family through the next generation. Instead, he received a frail seeming daughter who he disregarded in every way. Never before had the Kusakabe clan only had a woman in line to lead the family, and they were not keen to change tradition and allow such a thing.

In order to gain the respect of her father and the family, she had set out to gather the five treasured swords of her family. She battled the wielders of the first four and won fairly. The fifth sword was her fathers. At the end of the battle, she had struck him in rage and left him unable to wield a blade any longer. She was declared the victor and collected the last blade, Doujigiri Yasutsuna for her own. She thought this would mean that the family would accept her, but she was mistaken.

The family highly respected her father, and instead of accepting her strength, they sought to kill her to avenge their defeated leader. Her mother, Kotoko, quickly realized this would happen, and before things became too out of hand, fled with her daughter to the safety of the villa they now resided in. Here, they led a normal life, away from the threat of her family, who had ceased their pursuit of her.

Misuzu once again turned the earrings on her palm. How had they wound up in that drawer? Her mother said she remembered seeing them as a child, so at some point they were brought to this house. They were likely tossed in the drawer by someone with a little respect for a dead warrior's gift; a gift with very little seeable value.

She pocketed the earrings for now. She would find a more suitable place for them later, perhaps in the small display case in the study. For now she wandered into the library, hoping to find a more detailed account of the story her mother had told. The library was more of an archive, really. It was a place to store the accumulated knowledge of her family. The one in her home village was much larger, but this one was still sizeable.

She settled on 'earing' for a keyword to search for. She began searching through the hundreds of dusty old tomes. It took hours for her to find anything, and it was late evening when she finally did. It was a relatively newer book, likely less than 100 years old, unlike many of the volumes found on the shelves. She brushed off a thick layer of dust, making the air fill with the filth and causing her to cough. She flipped through the yellowing pages with increasing interest.

The book was written by Misao Kusakabe, another woman in her family who was forced into exile. She had tampered in western magic, something that was strictly forbidden by her family. Exiled or not, Misuzu admired Misao. She was a strong woman who followed her own path, and was the inspiration for Misuzu to dabble in some small magic herself. Misuzu had thought all texts from the woman had been destroyed, but apparently one was missed.

The text didn't give her any details on the earrings, but it did mention an interesting use for them. Apparently in Misao's search for magic, she stumbled across an interesting event in this very city, something called the Holy Grail War. She had managed to wring some details out of someone who had participated, and transcribed what she had learned into the text. It seemed like if one were interested in doing so, all the information needed to participate in this 'war' was in this book.

The book said she would need some sort of catalyst however. The description for one was simple enough. It had to be an item with a direct link to a hero of the past, so as to guide the spell towards a target. The target person would them be summoned as a familiar and partner for the participant. She had something that may work for a catalyst in her pocket at that very moment.

This was all an interesting idea, but she learned that she wouldn't be able to participate, at least not now. The grail war happened approximately every 60 years, and it seems that Misuzu came either a decade too late, or five decades to early. She would have to either skip out completely or wait a whole 50 years until the next round. With a sigh of defeat she stood up from her chair, glancing at the clock, only to realize it was well past 10 o'clock.

"I wonder if mother made dinner", she thought aloud. Her mother wasn't a particularly excellent cook, but she tried, and her meals were certainly never bad.

Misuzu wandered into the kitchen area to find a pot of miso soup still simmering, filling the kitchen with its mild scent and bringing a small smile to Misuzu's face. Her mother had done well, and even added some fish into the mix. Kotoko was always thinking of her since they ran. Misuzu filled a bowl with soup and found her mother sleeping in a chair in the sitting room. She decided not to wake her and ate her meal in silence.

"_I could change so much if I won the Holy Grail War_." She continued to eat in silence, musing over what she would do with one single wish. It had been a while since she had last eaten, and she went for a second bowl.

She turned off the stove to avoid burning the house down, and as she reached for the ladle she suddenly felt a burning sensation on her right hand. The sensation seared up her arm and she fell to her knees in surprised pain, dropping her bowl on ground in the process, causing it to shatter.

Kotoko called from the sitting room, "Misuzu? Was that you? Are you alright?"

Misuzu gazed at her hand in shock. Instead of her usual pale skin, there was an odd red symbol. "Yes mother, I'm fine! I burned myself on the stove slightly, that's all."

"Alright, please clean up the mess."

"I will."

Misuzu hurriedly cleaned the bowl bits and practically ran back to the library. She quickly flipped through the pages of the book on the Grail War. She found what she was looking for.

Command Seals.


	2. Merging of Fates

Authors Note: Hello readers! First off, I'd like to introduce myself. The poster of this story, shadowace117, is not the actual author. My actual account is BXRenegade. I'm choosing to have shadow upload this for me for a few reasons. First, I don't want to handle the uploads. I want to write a story, not deal with any of the little tidbits this site has on it. Although I'm sure it's simple and easy, it's a personal preference. I would like to thank shadow for being my primary editor. He has been useful in making the story come out cleaner and more interesting. He was also a part of the primary idea bouncing stage and outline forming. I choose to write this story because I thought there was a severe lack of 11eyes fan fiction of any kind. This story is not going to follow any specific route of Fate/Stay Night. In this chapter alone you can see elements of both the Fate and Heaven's Feel routes. If anyone has any questions, post a review with how you think the story is going, followed by your question. I will be personally going through all of the reviews when I have the time, and if the community of this story remains small, I will be sure to answer all questions. Lastly, I am a college student! I apologize if my chapter uploads are choppy and inconsistent in their timing. I have a month long Christmas break coming up soon though, and I'm going to try and complete 1 or 2 more chapters during this time. After that, we'll see what happens. I promise to finish the story, but it will take a while. I hope that this is a fun ride for all of us, and I invite you all to join me along the way. Without further ado, please enjoy my first true chapter of fan fiction.

O O O

Fate/Red Night – Chapter 1 – Merging of Fates

School on Saturdays is shorter than normal. Because of this, Emiya Shirou was planning to spend his day more casually. He was supposed to go for a short walk, get some groceries, and have another one of his average nights. However, those plans were set aside so he could help his friend, Shinji. The boy had approached and suddenly requested that Shirou clean the archery dojo for him. Shirou, being an all too friendly of a person, was more than happy to help.

He set straight out to clean his old club room, taking in the scenery with a small sense of nostalgia. He wasn't a stranger to the building. In fact, he would have likely been the captain of the club now, if he hadn't quit after his first year. He still visited the building often too since his other friend, Sakura, who was also Shinji's sister, was a member of the archery club. He moved toward the storage area to gather what he would need for the job.

After a few hours of scrubbing, rinsing, and wiping, the floor was now gleaming in the low evening light that flooded through the large door he had left open. Shirou examined his handiwork with a hint of pride. He put the cleaning supplies away, and moved to leave the dojo. The outside air was getting brisk, and Shirou suppressed a small shiver while breathing out a visible puff of breath. He sparred a moment to appreciate the sight; the first sign of winter.

"_I wonder if Fuji_-_nee will be mad at me_", he thought, as he walked toward the schools front gate. His caretaker and one of his teachers, Fujimura Taiga, always insisted that Shirou's kindness would be the death of him. When he returned home late this evening, with a poor explanation for what she considered a bad habit of helping people, it was unlikely she would be happy with the situation.

His train of thought was cut short as he passed through the schoolyard. A loud metal on metal screech echoed throughout the area, ruining the peaceful dark.

Shirou turned his head toward the disturbance to find a man in red swinging a pair of blades, one white and one black, in a manner so fast that his arms were but a blur. Each swing produced another clang of metal on metal, even though Shirou couldn't see anything being hit.

Suddenly, the noise stopped, and the man in red stopped swinging, but remained ready. Shirou felt an overwhelming need to move, and before he could question it, he took a small step to his right. A whizzing noise filled his ears, and a small black blade implanted itself in the building behind him. Shirou stumbled, startled and scared, away from the weapon. He noticed the man in red turn his head toward where the blade had flown, settling his sight upon Shirou. A dark look crossed the man's face for a brief moment before Shirou turned and ran as fast as he could toward the nearest safety he could think of, the school.

Shirou slammed the door open, and bolted down a hall. Why did he come here? This was a horrible place to run to. It's night time, and the whole school is completely deserted. This wouldn't act as a refuge; it would be a cage.

"_Can't go back_",he thought as he began moving toward one of the other exits. He would have to hope to lose whatever was pursuing him in the halls. He would get back outside, and while the hunter was busy searching the school, he would be free to move into the town and contact the police.

That was his plan at least. What he didn't account for was rounding a corner to be face to face with a skull. Shirou tried to stop himself and turn, but his momentum carried him right into the skeletal apparition. He came to a complete stop, was lifted off the ground, and was pinned to the wall. Shirou, stunned, could do nothing as another of the black blades was pushed to his throat.

Recovering, he realized that he hadn't run into a skull, but a man in a mask. He was tall, much taller than Shirou, and wore nothing on his torso. At his waist hung an old, frayed, and torn piece of clothing that resembled a long skirt. He had black skin; something Shirou saw little of in Japan. He was also bald, which made his whole body seem to fade away in the darkness of the school, with the exception of the ominous floating mask. The strangest feature of the man was his right arm, which was wrapped up in a thick layer of cloth, all the way from the shoulder to his hand, making it seem completely unusable. The man looked at Shirou, analyzing him.

"That was quick. It's not often my blades are dodged", said the masked man. "Out of respect, I guess I'll kill you quickly."

Shirou's eyes widened in fear and his heartbeat quickened. Killed? Why? What was going on? He decided the best way to answer these questions would be to ask. "Why?"

"Why what? Be specific. Why you? Why exactly am I going to kill you? The first is easy to explain, it's because you're unlucky tonight. The second… well, for the sake of time, because you saw something you shouldn't." The man's blade made a slight pressure on Shirou's neck. "Good luck on the other side."

Shirou's mind raged. This wasn't how he wanted to die. He didn't deserve this. As these thoughts passed through his head, the knife pressed even harder on his neck, and he truly realized this would be the end. "_I'm going to die_", he thought. If he had said the words, they would have been laced with resignation.

But it wasn't to be. The same moment the knife began to slide across his throat, a nearly silent hiss filled the hall. The moment after, the man in the mask was standing in the center of the hall, holding his knife in a defensive position and facing slightly to Shirou's right. Shirou glanced down, only to realize the black blade had been replaced by a much more sinister red blade. Not only was it that it _looked_ more sinister, but it also _felt_ more sinister. It leaked an aura of evil that Shirou was more than aware of, because the thing was resting under his chin.

Shirou followed the blade along its shaft, and was surprised to find the blade was actually a full length spear. More interesting was that the spear was being held by a man in tight blue armor with matching hair that was spiked on top, with a pony tail in the back. He wore a pair of interesting earrings and had a serious look on his face. The blue clad man cast a quick look at Shirou, lowering his spear a miniscule amount. It was not a large enough change to be seen. Shirou could only tell by both the change in pressure on his throat, and the air around him. The suffocating aura of the blade redirected from Shirou to the masked man who had attempted to kill him seconds ago.

The two figures stared at each other, hostility dripping from them both. Then the masked one made the first move, taking a fast step backwards and throwing another of his daggers at the spearman.

The blue warrior responded just as quickly, flicking his spear from Shirou's throat and into the path of the dagger, deflecting it away in a single deft motion. He leapt forward faster than the masked man could retreat, and launched a powerful stab, which was perfectly sidestepped and countered. The spear once again intercepted the dagger. The display left Shirou speechless. It was not only skillfully done, but it was fast, too fast for humans in fact.

The display repeated itself several times down the hall, the masked figure leaping back and then countering or dodging the incoming attack of the spear. At the end of the hall, near the stairs, something different happened. Once again the spearman went to strike. This time however, the blade, instead of stabbing, came in as a swinging arc of red, forcing the black man to jump back in order to dodge the attack.

Neither Shirou nor his original attacker had expected the second blade.

As the man had jumped back, he had been left slightly out of balance from the sudden maneuver. This left a small but exploitable opening. In that moment the masked figure realized his mistake, as a second opponent appeared from the stairwell and struck at him with a skilled and precise attack.

Instead of trying to dodge the attack normally, the man simply fell backwards to the ground, catching himself with his hands on the ground, and used his momentum to roll himself back, away from his two opponents. He rose back into his defensive position, and looked down at his torso. A thin trickle of blood formed along his side, pooling in small droplets. Even though he had a mask on, Shirou could tell the man was angry. Instead of continuing the fight, he threw one more dagger at the window, and jumped out of the school, disappearing into the night, leaving behind only a single drop of blood on the floor.

The spearman relaxed, standing his spear by his side and putting his weight on one foot. The apparent ally of the spearman stepped out of the stairwell into Shirou's view. Even in the dark, Shirou recognized this person. She was, after all, one of the schools few idols.

"Kusakabe-san?" questioned Shirou. The whole time he had stood shocked in the spot where he had been held to the wall, too confused to make any movements, and too awestruck by the fight he had witnessed to even consider his situation. As he finally came to his senses, he was only able to think one thought, "_What is going on here, and what is Misuzu's involvement_?"

Kusakabe Misuzu was one of the two idols in his grade, the other being a certain Magus who he was hiding his true identity from. Misuzu had transferred into his class near the end of his last year of junior high school. From there, they had both come to Homurahara, and even been placed in the same class for both years thus far. Even though she was very popular, Shirou knew little about her. She was quiet, focused, studious, and, if you asked the males of the class (and even some of the females) the most beautiful girl in town. She didn't speak very often, and Shirou was able to pick up that she had few if any friends; only piles of admirers. She was currently wearing her Homurahara uniform and had her hair tied back in her signature style. She was also sporting the familiar almost-knee-high combat boots that most of the school had come to associate with her.

"Emiya-kun?" she questioned back with mild surprise. "When I saw somebody being chased by Assassin, you were the last person I expected to see."

"Assassin…? You mean the masked freak who tried to kill me?"

"Yes, and you're lucky I was around to save you."

Suddenly the other combatant, still present, spoke for the first time. "Master."

Misuzu looked toward the spearman. "Thank you for saving him, and yes, you're right, I'm speaking too much. Go home Emiya-kun. Pretend none of this happened." Misuzu spoke crisply, seriously, and calmly. It wasn't in anyway a recommendation. She was telling him to never speak of this again, but Shirou wasn't quite willing to comply.

"Wait a minute now! What is all of this about? Who was this Assassin guy? And who is he?" Shirou shouted, directing the last question at the blue spearman.

"Kid! Go home! She's already going out on a limb here to save you. Don't squander that kindness. If so much as a peep of what you saw today gets out of your lips, one of us will have to kill you anyway." To emphasize his point, he twirled his spear in his hand once, before firmly gripping it again with both hands and directing the point and Shirou's chest. In contrast, Misuzu held up her blade, a strange weapon with an odd bend near the guard, with one hand, and pushed the blade tip first toward the palm of her other hand, where it entered into a strange circle that appeared on her palm and disappeared.

"Magic…", Shirou muttered, "You're a magus."

Misuzu cast her gaze on him again, the slightest flicker of hostility forming in her eyes, before it vanished behind her cool purple irises. "Of a sort, yes. What do you know?"

Shirou realized his mistake too late. He should have kept his mouth shut and figured this out at home. Now his cover was blown, and another magus knew the truth about him. He sighed, no point in hiding it now. "Only as much as any other random magus in my situation would, I suppose."

She gazed at him a moment longer. "Lancer, put the spear away."

Lancer, as he was apparently called, paused only a moment before complying. He lowered the spear before it too vanished. "Looks like you're an extra lucky one, kid. Or maybe just really unlucky. Depends how you wanna' look at it I guess", said the spearman with a slight grin.

Shirou frowned slightly at the man's comment. When paired with the previous statement about his luck that the masked man had made, it only led to the conclusion that he was rather unlucky.

"This city is becoming a battleground for magi, Emiya-kun. You would do well to stand back and let this pass." She then turned toward the staircase, paused, examined Shirou once more, and then walked away.

Shirou, not knowing what else to do, followed her. "What do you mean this town is becoming a battleground?"

"It's exactly as it sounds, Emiya-kun. As a magus who lives in this town, I doubt that you're ignorant of the Holy Grail War."

Shirou's heart sank, and he nearly tripped down the stairs. No, that couldn't be right. Kiritsugu had told him it would be another 50 years before another Grail War started, and that was if one even did start. According to Kiritsugu, the grail had become corrupted by something, and so he had ordered his servant to destroy the grail. Kiritsugu had also later admitted that this choice was the cause of the fire that had wiped out his childhood. He recovered from his shock, asking, "How? The Grail shouldn't be ready yet."

"I know not the details. I myself had only recently discovered this war when I was selected to be a master. If you intend to join, I recommend you hurry. There's only one servant left to be summoned."

"_Join_?" he thought. Shirou had never considered joining the war, since it wasn't supposed to happen. Now the opportunity was here. Should he take it? What would he even do if he won? He had no wish that the Grail could fulfill. As it was, he had no real reason to join.

Then he thought of how he had almost been killed a few minutes ago. The Grail War, he knew, had to be kept secret from the general populace, and because of that, bystanders who happened to witness these events, had to be silenced. Assassin tried to kill Shirou for this reason, believing he was one of these innocents.

"I think I will join, then. But not to fight for myself", Shirou said.

"Join… but not fight for your own goal? This is a war derived for personal gain. What other reason could you have to fight?" Misuzu adpoted a confused look.

"As a side effect of this war, hundreds of people could die. I won't allow that." Shirou had a firm expression. "I won't stand by while there's a repeat of what happened last time. I'll fight to protect everybody from this. I also can't allow the Grail to go to anyone who would abuse its powers for something that harms others."

Misuzu didn't know what it was he was talking about, but he sounded completely serious. No, she actually did understand what he said, she just couldn't acknowledge it. She knew that normal humans wouldn't make such a bold statement. Was that a trait more common amoung magi? She hadn't interated with them enough to know. "I don't know your reasoning, and I won't ask. You sound sincere, however, and I commend your selflessness."

Shirou scoffed slightly. "You'd be one of the first to do so. Most people think I'm crazy when I say things like that."

"Most people don't study onmyodo or dabble in magecraft. Much fewer do both. There are many evil people in this world, and there are also people like you to counteract them."

"Onmyodo? The Way of Yin and Yang? You're an onmyoji?" This was surprising. Onmyodo was an uncommon practice in this age. It certainly wasn't extinct, but it wasn't something you bumped into on a daily basis.

Something he DID bump into most every day came barreling around the corner. Tohsaka Rin smacked into him, causing him to stumble, grab a door handle, and lean against the wall to steady himself. She wasn't as lucky, finding herself sitting on the floor.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow," she muttered as she stood back up, rubbing her lower back. She finally looked up to see Shirou, who had regained his balance. "Emiya-kun! Watch where you're going, idiot!"

"Eh? Tohsaka-san? What are you doing here?" Shirou questioned innocently.

"That's my question! What were you doing here so late? Everyone is supposed to be home at this time."

"Well, I was cleaning the archery dojo as a favor. What's your excuse?" replied Shirou

"Uh… That is… I was…", Tohsaka sputtered, at quite a loss. She had expected to find the boy's dead body, morbid as the thought was. She hadn't considered what to say if he actually _was _alive. Speaking of which, how was he alive? She had seen Assassin enter through one of the windows on the second floor, and since he had just come down the steps, they must have ran into each other. As soon as she saw Assassin dart into the school, she already thought of the poor boy or girl inside as dead, cruel as it may be.

"He's already aware of the situation. There is no purpose in trying to hide it." Misuzu spoke from the side, making Tohsaka's head whip toward her.

"Kusakabe-san", Rin started. "What are you talking about?"

Instead of verbally answering Rin's question, Misuzu removed the white glove on her right hand and showed Rin the red mark there, indicating her status as a master. Besides this, Shirou also noted a small inscription on each of her nails that seemed to resemble some sort of writing from Shirou's angle. Rin's face hardened and she immediately regained her composure. Next to her, the red armored man appeared from thin air, and the same two swords from before appeared in his hands.

Lancer, who had remained unnoticed and silent in the stairwell until now, stepped out of the shadows with his spear once again in his hand, facing the red clad swordsman. The spear pointed at the swordsman, and the swords pointed at the spearman. An uneasy tension formed in the air as the two combatants starred each other down, waiting for the other to make a move.

"I do not wish to fight at this time, Tohsaka-san", stated Misuzu. "My only mission tonight was to observe. I was in the shopping district when Lancer sensed two servants in combat. We rushed here immediately and watched from the roof. Then I saw Emiya-kun being chased by Assassin and moved to help him. Besides, this war is not yet to be fought, as we are still missing one participant."

Rin paused for a moment, eyes narrowing. "Stand down, Archer. We don't need to fight right now."

"Why? I'm more than ready to fight," Archer said in a sarcastic tone. "Assassin's attacks were swift, but lacked power. I'm not tired in the least."

"She makes a point though. The rules say we can't fight until everyone is ready." Rin hated to concede to Misuzu's point, but she was right. "_There's no way I'm letting that damn priest deny me my prize over something trivial like this_", she thought to herself. "How are you a master, Misuzu-san? I wasn't aware you were a magus."

"I'm an onmyoji, and I have a little knowledge of western magecraft. I stumbled across the Grail War on accident, and was soon after selected to participate."

"I see", replied Rin. "And what did you mean when you said Shirou knows what's happening? Do you plan on telling any random passerby of this?"

"I did not tell a 'random passerby'", countered Misuzu, eyes slightly narrowing in hostility. She did not like undeserved criticism. "He was moments away from being killed by Assassin when Lancer and I saved him. He was confused at first, but seems aware of the Grail War and its purpose, as well of the secrets of magi."

"And how could he possibly have any idea what is going on?" The question was delivered alongside a smile that was in no way pleasant.

It sent a small shiver down Shirou's spine. He decided to interject before their conversation could escalate any further. Besides, it seemed like Tohsaka knew where this was heading and only needed someone to confirm it. "That would be because I'm a magus", he said simply.

Tohsaka gave him a bland and condescending look. "The 'Janitor' is a magus?" She let out a sigh, closed her eyes, and rubbed the side of her face with one hand. "How many more people in this school are really magi hiding under my nose? It's my job to keep track of you people."

"Well, I've always been hiding from you, honestly. My father told me not to get myself involved in the Mage's Association. You also likely didn't sense me because, frankly, I'm a terrible magus", explained Shirou.

"I'm not a proper magus either," said Misuzu. "I have no training other than what I gathered from a few books. On top of that, I only moved here two years ago. Since my main powers are fundamentally different from yours, it is unlikely you would have detected me. But, can I ask, why is it exactly that you need to keep track of us?"

"Wow, you must be really new to the magus thing. I'm the caretaker of this city and the surrounding land. I'm responsible for all the magi in the area. If one of _you_ does something wrong with magic, the Association comes to _me_ expecting an answer for what's going on. If there's a bunch of magi running around that I'm not aware of, it doesn't reflect well on me or my family."

"Hmm… I see. Thank you for explaining", replied Misuzu.

"Well at least you're polite", said Rin with a sigh. "If we're not going to fight, then for now, let's go home. I've had enough for the night. Getting jumped by Assassin this early in the war isn't reassuring either. Shirou", she suddenly stated, looking at him. "Be careful these next few nights. Assassin may still think you need to be dealt with."

"Thanks for your concern, but I'm sure I'll be fine", said Shirou.

"A servant isn't something to be trifled with, Emiya-kun. You're a target of Assassin now. That means that if he figures out where you live, you're as good as dead," stated Rin bluntly.

"As long as I make it home I think I'll be okay. I'm going to join the war, if the Grail will let me, so I'll have a servant to help me soon", explained Shirou.

Rin's face switched from neutral to angry and annoyed. She gritted her teeth slightly, muttering something along the lines of, "Just letting him go… What would father say?" She spoke up again, "Fine, but don't either of you think I'm going to hold back because we're classmates. When this war does start, I intend on winning, regardless of who my opponents are."

"I'd expect nothing less from you, Tohsaka. You're always moving toward your goals with determination", said Shirou.

"W-what are you saying?" Rin questioned, blushing slightly but maintaining her angry face. When Shirou responded with a confused look, she simply said, "Fine, whatever. I'm going home. Good night Emiya-kun, Kusakabe-san."

"Have a pleasant night, Tohsaka-san," said Misuzu, nodding her head slightly.

"Good night, Tohsaka."

Tohsaka turned to leave, and the man in red disappeared from sight again. She walked down the hall and around the corner.

"So what now?" asked Lancer.

"Now we wait", said Misuzu. "If Emiya-kun summons his servant tonight like he hopes to, then the battle begins tomorrow."

"Hmph. Summon a strong one kid. I'd hate to have too easy of a battle", Lancer said with his grin, which was apparently plastered to his face.

"I will escort you to your home Shirou", said Misuzu. "I would not have Assassin killing someone whose only goal is to minimize the casualties of the upcoming battles."

"That's really not necessary", claimed Shirou uncertainly. "I'm sure I'll be fine." He gave a small laugh and scratched his head.

"It will be a simple detour for me. I live on the western outskirts of the city. If I'm correct, you live in the same direction. Am I wrong?" Misuzu asked, eyebrows rising slightly in legitimate curiosity.

"Well no… I guess not. Can I ask how you knew this?"

"We've been in the same class for two years, Emiya-kun. We may not interact very often, but that doesn't mean that I do not pick up on things over such a span of time."

"I guess that makes sense", Shirou conceded. "Alright, you can come with me if you want," Shirou said with resignation.

Still maintaining her stoic expression, she said, "Excellent, but I must go to the roof for a moment. I left my ingredients for tonight's dinner up there when I rushed to aid you."

X X X

The trip to Shirou's home was uneventful. Whether that was because there was no reason to worry in the first place, or because of Misuzu and the now invisible Lancer's presence, was unknown.

"Kusakabe-san, just so you're aware, I am the only magus in my home. If anybody is around, don't discuss anything magic related with them", Shirou explained. "I don't want their lives interrupted by this world."

Misuzu just nodded her head in understanding.

He arrived home relatively late. Fuji-nee would ask questions in the morning if she was gone. If she was still here… well, he'd cross that bridge in a moment. "Actually, on the topic of people in my house, I should probably mention…"

But the mentioned moment was fast coming, it would seem. As soon as he opened the front gate to the courtyard of his home, the front door of the main building was thrown open and a raging beast came blazing toward him, fire in its eyes and hands raised to strangle him.

"SHIIIROOOOOUUUU! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?" Whether it was human speech or an animalistic growl was up to debate. Either way, the rage contained therein was unmistakable. "You are out far past your curfew! You had me worried sick! You know you need to at least check in with me! AND WHERE IS MY DINNER?" The last was shouted out with more of a cry of sadness than anger.

Fujimura 'Tiger' Taiga continued to rant on for a solid minute before finally calming down. Shiou was taller than her physically, but Shirou seemed small next to her while she vented her rage. Shirou cowered in front of her and couldn't think of anything to say. He had immediately regretted not thinking of an excuse beforehand. For a while she simply glared at him, out of things to say, before finally noticing the other figure in the courtyard.

Misuzu's eyes were wide in shock, and she blinked once as she stared at her teacher's outburst. Slowly, Taiga's eyes grew to match Misuzu's, and soon they were both starting at the other like a pair of deer in headlights, unable to properly come to terms with their respective situations.

Misuzu was the first to recover. She cleared her throat and bowed respectively, saying, "Good evening, Fujimura-sensei."

Taiga continued staring, dumbstruck. Her eyes shifted from their wide state to a thin squint, like she couldn't exactly believe what she was seeing. She finally managed to pull herself together, shaking her head and switching her expression to a large smile that covered her entire face. "Kusakabe-san! How are you this evening?" She turned her head to Shirou again, infinite glee in her eyes as her smile turned into a teasing grin. "Having a bit of a night out, eh, E-mi-ya-kun?" She said each syllable of his name with an uppity tone, and used his last name, something she only did in school and when she wanted to tease him.

Shirou blushed as red as a ripe cherry under the teasing of his guardian. He still couldn't think of an reasonable response, and he only blushed harder, trying with all his might to think of something that both concealed the truth, and dashed away Fuji-nee's ideas about the two students relationship.

Luckily, Misuzu wasn't as stumped. "Shirou had stayed after classes to help with some cleaning. He went to the market afterwards to purchase food for the meal tonight. However, he realized he had forgotten his money in his school locker. I had just finished my shopping as well, and, overhearing his situation, offered to share what I had, as long as he prepared it"

Taiga's eyes turned suspicious, and her mouth lost its smile. "Hmm… so what you're saying is, is that you're the one I'll have to thank for getting to eat tonight." Suddenly the smile popped right back on. "Geez Shirou", she whispered to him as they walked toward the door to the house. "You managed to get her to try your cooking? You'll get her for sure."

Shirou's blush deepened even more. He stepped into his home and removed his shoes. Taiga strutted into the living room where she sat down and turned on the television to the late news. Misuzu accompanied Shirou into the kitchen. Shirou examined the contents of the bag Misuzu gave him. It had potatoes, onions, carrots, beef, and some other items. It seemed as though she had planned on making a simple Japanese curry. When Shirou mentioned this, Misuzu seemed mildly surprised.

"I didn't know you could cook", she admitted. "I assumed I was going to end up making the meal."

"No, your lie worked out perfectly, actually. Fuji-nee will believe anything that ends in her getting food." Shirou paused for a moment. "Thanks for that, by the way. I couldn't think of anything to tell her."

"It was no problem. I could tell you were freezing up in the face of that…", Misuzu paused, scrunching her face slightly, at a loss for a proper description of what she had witnessed. "Well I could tell you needed assistance."

"I'll make sure to take extra care in preparing this meal, as thanks for saving my life twice tonight."

"It was nothing", Misuzu stated, stoic as ever. "Where did you learn to cook?" Misuzu asked as she sat down at the table.

"Hm? Oh, I taught myself. My father died five years ago. Since then, Fuji-nee, who's my neighbor and was my father's friend, has been taking care of me. Well, it's more like I take care of her. She may be the one responsible for me, but I don't think she's capable of surviving without me."

"I see. Would you like help preparing the meal?"

"No, I can handle it. I'm going to go wash up before starting though. I'll be back in a moment. I apologize ahead of time if Fuji-nee assaults you with questions."

Shirou wandered off to the bathroom. He washed his hands, as if to remove the day's events. He looked at himself in the mirror. He was tired from his near death experience and rings were forming under his eyes. He looked at his eyes, and for the first time in a while noted that one was a light hazel and fairly normal, but that the other was a bright gold.

X X X

When the food was done, everybody sat at the table. It had been a while since Shirou had prepared curry for dinner. It was now exceptionally late for eating dinner, almost 10:30. Taiga was explaining how Sakura had not been able to come over that day, so she herself hadn't yet eaten.

Shirou served up the plates of rice curry and sat himself down. "Itadakima-", he was suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door. "Who could that be at this time of night?" He got up and headed for the door.

What he found there didn't please him. "Lancer? What are you doing?" Shirou asked in a hushed voice.

The heroic spirit was dressed in a yellow Hawaiian t-shirt with orange flowers and a pair of simple blue jeans. "What are you talking about?" he said, grinning exceptionally wide. "Didn't you invite me to eat?"

"I can't say I remember doing so. Although I'm not going to outright deny you a meal, I have two questions. First, what are you wearing?" The outfit looked strangely appropriate on him, by today's standards.

"Oh, these? I got them from a store, of course."

"You stole them, didn't you?"

"I prefer the term, 'stealthily borrowed'."

Shirou sighed. "Okay, second question. How are you going to explain this to Kusakabe-san and Fuji-nee? I'm sure you were around for our initial conversation, even if you were invisible."

"Hmm… tell them I'm Misuzu's older brother. Kusakabe Takeshi."

Shirou sighed. Misuzu wasn't going to like this. "Okay, fine, but any fallout between you and your master is on you. I won't get dragged into that."

"Whatever kid, I can smell that food from here. Can I come in?" Shirou stepped aside. "Thank you."

Shirou walked in first. He was hoping to minimize the damage caused by Lancer's sudden appearance. "Kusakabe-san, your brother, Takeshi-san, is here."

"Brother?" Misuzu's eyes clearly showed her confusion. "I don't…"

"Hey there, _imouto_."

"_He had better be careful with this, or he's in for it later_", thought Shirou

Misuzu's eyes changed from confused to shocked, widening past what Shirou would expect possible. Shirou glanced at Fuji-nee, who was looking at the newcomer with a strange look. Her spoon was halfway between her plate and her mouth. Shirou then looked back to Misuzu, twirling his finger by his side, trying to signal her to just go with it.

Apparently she got the message. Her expression changed from its stunned position back toward its impassivity, but not quite completely. Slowly, a small angry fire started to form in her eyes. She wasn't too mad; she understood he was just having a little fun. "Hello, onii-san", she said. "What are you doing here?" She forced a small smile onto her face.

"Well, mother thought that I should come over to escort you home, because of all the strange things that have been happening at night lately. It's a good thing you called mother to tell her the circumstances, she was getting worried you know." Lancers sentences were laced with exaggerated voice inflection. This made Misuzu's anger rise a little bit more, from 'easily forgivable anger', to 'mild anger'.

"How thoughtful of her", Misuzu said, now falling into her role perfectly, and giving a cheerful, loving, and believable smile.

The rest of the meal was pleasant. Lancer wasn't too much of a hassle, directing most of his attention toward a conversation with Taiga about education. Lancer seemed to think that the students should have more time spent with practical knowledge, such as shop classes. Taiga, while not in agreement, was actually capable of seeing his point of view, but made her case that there should be a stronger focus on foreign languages. Her stance was probably not influenced at all by the fact that she herself taught English.

"Shirou!" Taiga yelled from the dining room an hour later as Shirou washed dishes. "I'm going home! I'll see you in the morning! Misuzu, make sure you get home soon. There's no school tomorrow but you shouldn't stay here. Someone might notice and… get the wrong idea", she said with a barely concealed smile. "Shirou come here for a moment, please."

Shirou walked into the entryway, leaving behind Misuzu and Lancer. "What is it, Fuji-nee?"

Taiga spoke quietly. "Make sure you take Kusakabe-san home tonight."

"Huh? Why?" Shirou asked, confused. "Her brother already came to take her home."

"That may be true, but the nights haven't been safe lately. Remember that murder on the news? Her brother might be here but she's a frail little thing. I think it would be better if you tagged along, just in case."

Shirou laughed internally at the irony. She was the one protecting him. He knew however, that there was no way to talk her out of this, so he reluctantly agreed. "Alright. I'll go with her if it makes you feel better."

"It would," responded Taiga with a frown. "Just because you think they'll be fine, it doesn't mean they will be."

"And aren't you worried about me at all? I'll have to come home alone!" he protested.

Taiga's face lit up with a smile. "You'll be fine! I know that you can take care of yourself, Shirou!"

Shirou let out a sigh as his face drooped, "Goodnight, Fuji-nee." He then returned to the dishes as his teacher pranced out the door. He finished them in short order and returned to the dining room to find Misuzu and Lancer still sitting quietly, sipping.

Lancer was the first to break the silence. "Thanks for the food kid. It was good."

"You're welcome. But now that she's gone, I should get to summoning my servant."

Misuzu took one last long sip of her tea and said, "Have you received a command seal?"

Shirou examined his arms. "Not yet. But that's not going to stop me from trying." He moved toward the front door, followed by Misuzu and Lancer. "My workshop is an old shed outside. I'll summon my servant there, if I can."

Lancer raised an eyebrow as he asked, "You're letting us into your workshop? Just like that? I thought magi were pretty secretive these days."

Misuzu slowed down a bit, nervous. A magus was supposed to be strongest when inside their workshop. She didn't personally have one, but Misao's notes had made short mentions of them. If Shirou had any thoughts of betraying her tonight, it would be there that he did so.

Shirou affirmed Lancer's not-question, "Yeah, just like that." His simple affirmation, compounded with a firm nod, settled Misuzu's apprehension just as fast as it came.

Lancer just shrugged, satisfied.

Shirou opened the door to the shed and stepped inside. He grabbed a broom and swept an area of the floor, and revealed a faded but noticeable summoning circle.

"This circle is old. What was it used for?" Misuzu asked.

"Apparently my dad's wife needed it for something in the middle of the last Grail War", Shirou answered.

"Your father's wife? You mean your mother?"

"No. I'm adopted actually. I never met the woman who would have been my adoptive mother. She died only a short while before my adoption."

"I see. You mentioned your father died, earlier. You've had to lose two sets of parents then?"

"Well, I don't really…" Shirou suddenly stopped his sentence as he felt the faintest tingle on his spine. It was the faintest trigger of his bounded field he had ever felt. If he hadn't been on edge because of what he was about to do, he might have missed it. He turned toward and leapt at Misuzu, fear in his eyes. Before she could respond, he tackled her to the ground, and a loud crash rang throughout the shed. A black dagger imbedded itself in the opposite wall, and Shirou looked up to find the small window near the top of the shed shattered.

Lancer drew his spear and instantly donned his armor. He cautiously stepped out into the courtyard, looking for any sign of Assassin. He scanned the roof, but couldn't see or sense anything in the area.

"Are you alright?" Shirou asked. She seemed alright, but it couldn't hurt to ask, seeing as how he had just tackled her to the ground. Shirou removed himself from atop Misuzu. As he stood, he offered his hand to help her up. She looked at his hand for a moment, before taking it and pulling herself up with his support. She looked at the knife in the wall.

"Thank you, I am fine. I don't know how you are sensing these blades, but it appears you have saved me. I will consider the favor repaid", said Misuzu.

She then raised her hands, and drew a sword from another of the strange circles that appeared on her hand. It was shorter than the other he had seen at the school, being only slightly less of two-thirds of a meter in length (making it about two feet, for us silly Americans). Although it was short, it still looked deadly. Halfway up the blade, it suddenly shifted from being a single edged sword to a double-edged blade. This meant then that the half-and-half side could be used for both offense and defense, without risking the integrity of the blade. To top it all off, it was pitch black, like Assassin's daggers, and seemed to emit some sort of energy. She kept her hand raised, and drew the sword she had used before in the school. She held the black blade in her right hand and the strange bent sword she had used previously in her left.

"How many swords do you have? And where are they kept?" asked Shirou.

"Five. All of them earned", she said. "As for where, I'll show you when we are no longer in danger."

Shirou moved toward the circle. The summoning ritual would take a while, and he should hurry so that he might be able to provide support for the fight.

Outside, Lancer continued searching for Assassin. "Damn Presence Concealment. Get out here and fight me!"

"Hurry, Emiya-kun. We will stall him", said Misuzu hurriedly. Summon your servant and let us end Assassin before he can flee again." Misuzu stepped outside with her sword ready, eyes intent and focused.

"Hey! Are you going to be alright out there against a servant?" Shirou had his doubts that, even with her magic and swords, she would be able to contribute much in a straight fight against Assassin, especially when he had the advantage of stealth.

"Once again, Emiya-kun, I earned these swords. I did not pick them up from some random sword smith and start pretending like I knew what I was doing. Now please, hurry with your summoning attempt." With that said she left him alone in the shed, moving to stand by Lancer, who was still searching for his opponent.

Shirou gritted his teeth, and turned to his circle, moving to begin the ritual as fast as he could. He had already procured Kiritsugu's notes on the war before he had begun supper. He grabbed it off the shelf and turned to the page regarding the summoning. He lacked a catalyst, so there was no telling exactly what kind of servant he would summon. The best he could guess is that it should be someone who shared a similar set of beliefs.

Shirou spoke the words Kiritsugu had used for his servant summoning. "I hereby swear, I will be all that is good in the eternal world. I will be the disposer of evil…" He hoped this worked.

Outside, master and servant stood back to back. Lancer held his spear with both hands in front of himself, and defended from the seemingly random knives flying out of the darkness. Misuzu did the same with her sword, although with less success, and Lancer had to keep rotating around to defend her when multiple would attempt to strike her simultaneously.

Slowly, the attacks moved them out into the center of the courtyard. For a while, the blades continued to fly only at Lancer. This left Misuzu unmolested and able to catch her breath for a while, not that she was very tired yet. Suddenly the attacks stopped.

"Run out of knives you coward?" mumbled Lancer.

"Don't provoke him", said Misuzu. "He likely has more tricks than a few throwing knives in his arsenal."

With no lead on where Assassin was, they stood quietly in the courtyard again. They scanned the area carefully, but Assassin was as elusive as his name suggested.

He was actually on the branch of a tree that was leaning over the wall that surrounded Shirou's estate. He had jumped around the roofs, carefully positioning his opponents with each of his blade throws. His throws were meant to kill, not that he expected them to, and also to push his opponents to where he wanted them.

He threw one more dagger to keep his opponents on edge, before crossing the courtyard in one strong leap. He glanced at the two in the courtyard, and confirmed that they were still glancing around nervously. From his new spot, he quickly and carefully hopped down to the ground. He shimmied through the dark to the shed before climbing to its roof. Here, he moved with as much stealth as he could muster; being seen now wouldn't end well because of how exposed the position was.

Misuzu was the one to notice. When she had scanned the area multiple times without seeing anything, she had spared a quick glance at the shed to check Shirou progress. As she had turned, she thought she had seen something moving through the broken window of the building.

"Lancer, I think something is wrong", she noted.

"I agree. This is a strange attack pattern. Assassin moved us into the open, an area he would have no advantage in."

"Let's move back to the shed. I think Emiya-kun may be in trouble."

Nodding in agreement, Lancer followed Misuzu back to the shed, covering their advance. Misuzu entered the shed with careful steps.

"Stay there."

Misuzu turned her head to the voice. Lancer followed her in and also turned to the voice. On the far side of the shed, Assassin held Shirou off the ground with his wrapped right arm, another dirk in his left. Shirou was feebly struggling against his captor.

"I came here to finish off my target; an interesting young man with enough luck to dodge my dirks, but who is also unlucky enough to have seen something he shouldn't have. When I arrived I found a series of interesting things. First, he was still being protected by the same troublesome girl from the school. Second, it would seem that his ability to dodge my dirks wasn't luck at all; he saved you from another of my weapons. Lastly, and most importantly, I find him in the middle of summoning a servant.

"This last piece shows he was a magus, which means that I wouldn't have to kill him. However, it also means that he becomes a target of interest once again, for an entirely different reason."

Misuzu's eyes squinted. "Let him go."

"Oh? How about a trade? I'll let the both of you go, but only if you have your servant… remove himself from this battle. Permanently, please."

Misuzu had figured this would be what he wanted. She examined her situation. Shirou was held hostage in front of her target. Neither she nor Lancer would have enough time to rush in and save him before Assassin managed to kill him. She had a choice then. Save Shirou, or let him die so she could stay in the war.

She gritted her teeth slightly. She knew what she would and had to do, but she didn't like it. The war hadn't technically started, and she was already out.

"You sly bastard", said Lancer with disdain. "Taking hostages and jumping around in the dark. You're pathetic."

Misuzu then found Lancer's spear pushing her gently but firmly back and to the side.

Lancer sighed. "I know what you're going to do. I won't make you order me to do it." Lancer turned to Misuzu. "I won't blame you for this choice. I'm already technically dead anyways, right?" Lancer raised his spear, pointing it at his heart, and gave one more glance at Misuzu. She was about to protest, but then he winked at her stealthily.

She gripped her sword more tightly. Lancer had his back to Assassin. He brought the spear down toward his heart to kill himself. Misuzu watched helplessly in slow motion as the blade moved to slay her ally. She had never actually witnessed a death before. Blood? Sure. That was part of wielding a blade. But never had she seen someone die. The blade fell closer and closer to Lancer's chest. At the last moment he did something strange. He did a front flip over his spear, corkscrewing himself and following through with his motion in the most spectacular display of acrobatics Misuzu had ever seen. The spear, instead of striking Lancer, continued on its path, right toward Assassin's head.

There was a problem with this. Heroic spirit or no, jumping over and throwing a spear in the same movement isn't very effective. The spear went where he intended it to, but with a gentle lob and at a snail's pace. While the spear traveled, and before Lancer hit the ground, he drew a strange rune in the air.

Assassin pulled his dirk away from Shirou, blocking the spear in a quick movement. He was startled when a small fireball came in its wake. He spun Shirou and himself to the side, dodging the flame which splashed harmlessly against the stone of the shed wall.

Turning back to his opponent, he found Misuzu swinging her black blade at his right side. Instead of dodging or blocking however, he simply moved Shirou in front of the strike, forcing Misuzu to stop her attack mid swing. This left his left side open however, and Misuzu stepped into her strike, stabbing at his hip with her second blade. Assassin's dirk came down and pushed the strike aside, making it miss. He jumped back to the wall, underneath the window.

Lancer had retrieved his spear and was now pointing it at Assassin again. He searched for an opening, but Assassin had regained his advantage and the stalemate remained.

"I must say girl, you never cease to amaze me," said Assassin. "You already hit me once, and you almost managed to do so again. I won't be underestimating you anymore. With that said, it seems I'll have to settle for taking out my original target. The two of you working together wouldn't be good for me." Assassin raised his dirk, and dropped the blade to stab Shirou's heart.

Moving quickly, Lancer shot forward to intercept the blade. His angle wouldn't let him block the strike entirely, but he could reposition the blade to somewhere less lethal. Instead of striking his heart, the blade lodged itself in the upper right side of Shirou chest, lodging itself in a rib.

"AAGH!" Shirou screamed.

Assassin threw Shirou to the ground, intent on making his escape while he still could, while ripping his blade out at an angle that lengthened the cut up to his shoulder; causing Shirou's bleeding to increase. He couldn't move toward the door, as Lancer was in the way, so he settled for the same window he had used as an entrance. As he turned to climb away, his path was intercepted by Misuzu's odd bent blade as it lodged itself above the window. It started crackling with energy, and then began to randomly emit small bolts of lightning that blocked his path.

Misuzu rushed in with the black blade. Assassin turned and blocked her strike, and responded with one of his own. Assassin was faster by far, but the reach of Misuzu's short sword was twice that of his dirk, giving her a fraction of a second more time to react. She blocked his blade, and tried to respond with a stab of her own, but he easily sidestepped it, and moved for a second strike. The dagger swung in quickly, hitting her in the arm and tearing through her sleeve, causing red blood to flow down her arm. She winced at the pain, but continued to fight, taking advantage of Assassin's close proximity to lash out again.

Assassin simply dodged once more, but this time found Lancer's spear stabbing at him. He did a short flip backwards, dodging the strike. He faced his two opponents who blocked his escape. Misuzu stood to the right, and Lancer stood to the left, closest to the door.

"_Damn that girl_," he thought. "_She has as many tricks as I do_."

He grabbed another two dirks, which, when added to the one already in his hand, made three. In two motions that were so fast they appeared to be one, he threw one at Lancer's head, one at Lancers thigh, and one at Misuzu's right shoulder. Lancer blocked the one heading for his head, and swung his blade down to quickly to deflect the other. Misuzu raised he blade to fend off the attack sent for her, deflecting it cleanly, but she was perilously close to missing it.

While his opponents blocked his thrown weapons, he procured another and rushed at Lancer, whose blade was still coming back up to his ready position after his block. Lancer tried to stop Assassin, but in the close quarters of the shed, he didn't have any maneuverability with the spear. Assassin moved right through his defenses and stabbed at Lancer's exposed throat.

Just before the blade stuck, Lancer was sucked into a strange portal. Misuzu drew yet another sword from her palm. This one was interesting to Shirou as well. Its blade was of similar length to the black blade in her right hand, but had a much longer hilt, giving it a look very similar, if not identical to a nagamaki. She placed her hand near the top of the handle, minimizing its overall length to maximize its usefulness in the tight space.

Misuzu spared a quick glance at Shirou, who was gaping in pain on his stomach, blood pooling around him as he watched helplessly from the side. Worry flashed across her face for a brief moment. If Shirou died, she would not be happy with Lancer. She had quickly realized that it was her job to capitalize on the opening Lancer had made, but his distraction had been awkward and didn't leave her with much to work with against a superior opponent.

Turning back to Assassin, she swung the black blade at his left. He blocked it with his dirk and jumped back as the new sword flashed at his stomach. Misuzu repeated the attack again.

"You are persistent", said Assassin, as he blocked and dodged the combination attack again. "Where did your servant go off to? I was quite sure I had him that time."

Misuzu remained silent, choosing not to reveal that evidence or even lie, since he might detect her deceit. She lashed out with a few quick blows, trying to keep the servant on the receiving end.

Assassin was about to exploit the girls slower attacks and end her, since he was receiving no answers. He was slightly surprised when, instead of continuing the barrage of strikes she had been sending, she performed the combo attack from before one more time. The black blade came at Assassin's left side, and he blocked it again. The new blade once again lashed at his midsection. Assassin, already predicting the second blade's attack, perfectly positioned himself to dodge the blade and then retaliate.

This time, however, the blade wasn't the same length. She lightened her grip on the handle, allowing it to slide forward in her hand. Now the blade, instead of being out of reach of its target, was perfectly positioned to strike Assassin.

Assassin saw the strange technique, and tried to jump back again. He was fast enough to dodge the main part of the blade, but his side was once again scratched, slightly deeper than before.

"Enough! I've had it with you!" he said in his deep voice. "I don't like to fight head on but you leave me little choice!" shouted Assassin, raising his voice for the first time. He drew two extra dirks, and threw all three at Misuzu simultaneously.

Her eyes widened in fear. She tried to block them, but they were two well-spaced, and coming to fast to dodge. She blocked the one coming for her head and the one coming toward her heart, and attempted to dodge the blade that would strike her thigh. The force of the dirks was enough to make the blunt side of her sword come back and smack her hard in the face and daze her. She tried to sidestep the strike, but the third dirk shallowly sliced her thigh, making her fall to one knee. Assassin moved in to kill her.

From the sidelines, Shirou watched as Assassin advanced on her. He went to strike her once, and Misuzu blocked feebly, dropping her sword. He struck again, and once again she resisted, only to again lose her weapon from the combination of Assassin's inhuman strength and her dazed mental state. Shirou realized how much Assassin had been toying with Misuzu. Shirou knew the next strike would kill her and then he would be next.

He was disappointed in himself. His only goal had been to minimize the casualties of this bloody and senseless conflict that he had briefly learned about once, and the first person he had met in it was going to die right in front of him. He couldn't accept that. Mustering all his willpower, he put his good arm firmly on the ground and pushed up, trying to overcome his body's shock and raise himself from the ground.

Assassin stopped his final strike halfway when he saw Shirou slowly rising from his prone position. "Oh? Both of you are more annoying than I had originally thought." Assassin moved away from Misuzu, who was still trying to remove the fog from her head. "What is your name, boy? I would know the name of the mere human who managed to dodge two of my strikes and then continue to live after being stabbed and losing so much blood."

Shirou continued to push himself up. "My name… is… Emiya."

"Emiya? My master mentioned such a name. You are the son of the 'Magus Killer'? One more reason then, to stomp you out now, if you're anything like him."

"My name… IS EMIYA SHIROU!" Shirou finally managed to plant his foot on the ground, and kicked up from his kneeling position. He lunged at Assassin, punching at his chin, earning himself a kick to the face. He ignored the pain, steadied himself, and tried to strike Assassin again. He was spun around and flung face first into the wall.

"And still you insist on fighting. I applaud your resilience child, but it is finally time for you to die." Assassin raised his dirk in the air, and swung it down toward Shirou's skull. As he did so, a sudden burst of light flashed throughout the shed.

Shirou barely sensed the slight pain on the back of his hand, as his mind was too preoccupied with the stab in his shoulder and the headache he had recently developed after becoming acquainted with the wall.

The dirk stopped once again as Assassin turned his eyes toward the source of the light. The summoning circle was glowing. In seemingly an instant, a figure formed in the circle and jumped toward Assassin. He raised his dirk to block the incoming blow, and it was thrown from his hand by the sheer force of the strike. He procured another dirk and readied it against the figure.

The new arrival, clad in blue and silver armor, then swung something Shirou could not see again and again at Assassin, quickly forcing him into a retreat. Assassin slowly retreated toward the door, keeping his eyes focused on this new threat. When his defense put him at the door, he quickly jumped outside, intending to flee.

He encountered resistance though. As he turned to flee from his opponent, he found a second blade being swung at him. Assassin bent at the waist and knees, falling under the blade, and Lancer missed his swing by a fraction of an inch.

Lancer jumped back from Assassin. He ran forward and jumped into the air. At the same time, the new figure rounded the corner of the shed and looked at Assassin, and then at Lancer.

"GAE…", started Lancer, intending to rid the war of the shadow stalking servant. Assassin was leaping over the wall of the estate now, and he would have to act fast if he was to stop him now.

The new figure, seeing one opponent in retreat, moved to intercept the second servant she had sensed. She leapt up in the air, and before the man could finish whatever he was saying, she struck at him, forcing him to defend himself or die. He blocked the incoming strike with ease, and fell to the ground with a look of anger. He took a defensive stance, pointing his spear at her.

"What are you doing? I almost had him!" Lancer shouted.

The figure, a girl with blonde hair and green eyes, would have no talk now though. She focused her gaze and lunged at him again. She swung her sword diagonally in a powerful sweep intended to cleave him from shoulder to hip. Lancer blocked the savage strike.

"You were just summoned right? You're the kid's servant aren't you? Stop this", Lancer said while pushing back against the sword he was locked in a power struggle with. "We're on the same side! Sort of…" he said, trailing off at the end since he wasn't exactly sure what sort of relationship the two masters were agreeing on.

The new servants eyes thinned, and the pressure of her sword lighted by a barely noticeable amount. It was enough to show she was listening, but unwilling to let him move freely yet.

"Explain", she said forcefully.

"My master and yours are both in that shed. Ask them if you don't believe me. There's no reason for us to be killing each other right now, and you just let one of our real enemies get away", stated Lancer with a hint of anger, distressed by this turn of events. Something must have gone wrong in there if the new servant hadn't received any information from either Misuzu or Shirou. "Are those two okay in there?"

The blonde jumped back swiftly, disengaging from Lancer. She slowly lowered her sword, but remained ready, as Lancer's spear tip simultaneously pointed toward the ground. "The girl's leg has been cut badly. She is also bleeding from her arm and forehead. My master, if you truly care, is unconscious and bleeding profusely."

"Tch, stupid girl, thinking she could handle Assassin by herself. Surprisingly, her plan almost worked anyways. I'm a little impressed honestly. I suspected she was going to get herself killed right away, but I can't argue with a command seal." Lancer looked at Shirou's new servant. "First, who are you then?"

Accepting for now that the spearman was her ally, she spoke in an even voice. "I am servant Saber."

"Really? I had assumed, but I didn't think he'd manage that. I almost regret telling him to summon a good one. Ok then, second, do you mind if I check on my master?"

Saber shook her head and stood aside in response. Lancer stepped forward and moved into the shed, with Saber following slowly and cautiously. Lancer was surprised to see Shirou on his feet. Saber moved to him.

"I ask you, are you my master?" she questioned, already knowing the answer and just needing to confirm it.

Shirou looked at the girl, stunned. "Y-yeah I guess I am." He stumbled slightly as he coughed and removed some of his weight from the wall he was using to support himself.

Lancer moved toward his master, finding her sitting against the wall, a blank look on her face. "Would you please retrieve Raikiri for me? It's up there", she said to Lancer, pointing toward the window where her blade was still lodged.

Lancer pulled the blade free from the stone, amazed she had actually managed to get it stuck there in the first place. "That was quick thinking there. I didn't know you could shoot lightning from this thing. Do the other ones do things like this?" he asked, passing Raikiri to her.

"There's one that starts on fire…" she trailed off as Raikiri slowly faded from her palm.

"Are you okay?" asked Lancer, snapping his fingers in front of her.

"I'm just a bit dizzy, that's all", she replied with a dull tone.

"She took a pretty bad hit to the head", said Shirou. "She blocked one of Assassin's daggers that was headed toward her head, and her sword bounced back and hit her pretty hard. That's how she got that cut", he said, glancing at the small trickle that was working its way down her forehead.

"I am fine. Your wound is much worse, I'm sure", she said defiantly, looking at the cut her thigh.

"Master", said Saber, "Where exactly is your wound? Your shirt is covered in blood."

"I was stabbed in the shoulder. It's not as bad as it looks", he claimed.

Saber stepped toward him, looking at his shoulder. "Remove your shirt", she said evenly.

"Shirou stepped back. "W-What was that now?"

"Remove your shirt please. I need to examine your wound so I can stop the bleeding." She stepped forward again and reached for the bottom hem of Shirou's shirt.

"That's not necessary!" he exclaimed, hurrying away from his servant's reach. He found himself in the corner now, with nowhere left to go.

"Do not act like a child. If your wound is not dealt with soon, you could bleed to death", said Saber. She didn't move toward him anymore, instead choosing to wait until the boy's survival instincts overpowered his modesty's complaints.

"How about I go take care of it myself? I have some training in first aid", Shirou said, eyeing his servant nervously. Saber eyed him doubtfully, and Shirou could tell that she wasn't quite buying it. "It's the truth. My father taught me some first aid. And do you really have any medical experience yourself?"

Saber frowned and paused for a few seconds. "Fine. But if you need assistance please ask me. I do not want you to do a poor job." She stepped out of his way, opening up his path.

Shirou sighed, relieved. "Thank you. I'll go take care of this shortly. Kusakabe-san, how is your leg?"

"My leg is fine. The cut looks bad but it is merely superficial. I should be capable of fighting at my normal level in less than a week. You on the other hand seem to be underestimating your wound. You should see a doctor soon to get that stitched up, or else the muscle could regrow improperly." Misuzu looked at Shirou. Her eyes were still a little unfocused.

Shirou sighed. He had a small pool of more advanced medical knowledge that he had acquired, and he knew she was right. He wasn't exactly interested in going to a hospital; he didn't like the atmosphere of a bunch of ill people seeking help while he sat around twiddling his thumbs doing the same. "Fine", he agreed, "but only if you promise to get yourself looked at too. That hit to your head was pretty hard."

Misuzu looked at him calmly. "You worry too much about others."

"Maybe, but you shouldn't go running around with a possible concussion", countered Shirou.

"He's right. I don't need you passing out on me in the middle of a fight," interjected Lancer. "At least go make sure it's nothing more serious." His words were direct and much more of a command to his master than a request.

Misuzu closed her eyes, nodded her assent, and leaned against the wall. Shirou went inside his house to gather some bandages for Misuzu. Saber followed Shirou to the house, and removed her heavy armor in a puff of golden light, exposing the fine blue dress underneath. Lancer stuck his spear in the ground and waited in the shed with Misuzu.

Shirou moved to the bathroom. He went to the cabinet underneath the sink and retrieved a bundle of bandages from a large first aid kit he kept around. "Please bring these to Kusakabe-san and Lancer", Shirou requested.

Saber obliged, taking the bandages from Shirou. "Master, I must ask, what is our relationship with this other master and servant? Lancer indicated that we were in some sort of truce."

"Well", Shirou started, "I'm not really sure myself. For now, I think it's safe to call them allies. I'm not going to lie, though. If they act in a way that's contradictory to my beliefs, which they're aware of, then I might have to fight them. I don't think we'll have to do that though", Shirou finished, with a smile at Saber.

"Then I shall show them the same courtesies that you do. I will also, however, maintain my guard against Lancer. Is this acceptable?" asked Saber.

"Yeah, I guess. Just don't try looking for a fight that isn't brewing. I trust Kusakabe-san will keep herself and her servant in line", said Shirou as he passed a small bottle of disinfecting alcohol to Saber. She nodded and walked off. Shirou, finally alone, removed his shirt to examine the gash in his chest and shoulder. He cleaned the wound carefully, and winced as he sterilized it.

He wasn't exactly sure where to go from here with such a wound. There wasn't much he could do about the rib being stabbed, so he settled for taking some gauze and bandaging into and over the gouge to stymie the flow of blood. It didn't hurt as much as he had expected it to, and the muscles in his shoulder weren't hit too badly. He still had almost complete control of the arm, but he figured it best to take it easy until it was back at its original strength. His luck was really showing tonight, for better or worse. With his current situation, he hopped it didn't run out.

He stopped by his bedroom to grab a new shirt. As he changed, he realized he would need to explain the situation to the doctors when they asked. He thought about his options as he went back out to the shed, carrying with him a few bottles of water he had retrieved from his fridge. He arrived back at the shed and walked in.

"Anyone thirsty?" Shirou asked, displaying the bottles of water in his hands.

Saber and Lancer declined his offer politely, stating they didn't need food or water since they weren't human. He was willing to accept this, but it made him wonder why Lancer had insisted on coming in for dinner. When Shirou inquired about it, Lancer simply told him he had wanted to eat. He didn't require food, but that didn't mean he couldn't eat, and it had been a while since he last had enjoyed a meal.

"I will take one", replied Misuzu to Shirou's original question.

Shirou passed her a bottle, kept one for himself, and placed his two extras on top of a bookcase he had been slowly working on over the past few months in his free time.

"I never expected a mages workshop to literally be a workshop", commented Misuzu as she took a drink of her water. She hadn't realized how thirsty she was until the water met her lips. The cool rush of relief made her crave more, and she finished half the bottle swiftly, ending in a deep breath.

"I'm the exception, really. My magecraft only takes form in a few ways, and one of them, structural analysis, makes it easy for me to understand and fix things. That's why I help out around the school and have the nickname of 'Janitor'." Shirou took a drink of his own water and paused, unsure of how to continue, making an awkward silence fall into the shed. Shirou looked at Misuzu. She had been through a lot. Her head was now bandaged, and her thigh was also wrapped. Shirou didn't like this. Warrior or no, it was supposed to be the man's job to protect the woman, not the other way around. "You're sure you're okay?" he asked her again.

"Please Shirou, I will be fine. Lancer, help me up please", she requested. Lancer stepped forward and offered his hand, which she used to pull herself off the cold cement. "We should get you to the hospital to get your shoulder looked at."

Shirou nodded. More than bandages would be needed to fix his shoulder properly. "I still think it's a good idea to get you looked at also." Misuzu glanced at him in response, acknowledging his statement but not completely agreeing to it. Shirou continued, "We have to get to the other side of the city, across the bridge, to reach the hospital. If we're going to go then we should leave soon. The night isn't getting any warmer."

Misuzu agreed, and moved to walk out of the shed. After her first step though, she stumbled as she put her weight on her cut leg. Shirou, who had been half expecting something like that to happen, was quick to intercept her fall. He wasn't a knight gently catching the princess. She had been falling forward rather suddenly, and Shirou simply tried to stop her from smacking her head a second time. One hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward him slightly, and the other arm ended up awkwardly around her chest, causing one of her breasts to firmly press against his arm. He recoiled, quickly righting her on her feet and pulling himself away with a blush.

Lancer looked at Shirou, surprised by his quick reaction. He would have done the same himself, but he had been pulling his spear back out of the ground as he prepared to leave. His eyes narrowed by a sliver, and his expression changed from mildly stunned to devilish as his grin returned. Shirou knew he had noticed, and blushed an even brighter red under the man's gaze. He turned his head away from the man and rubbed the back of his head, feigning innocence.

Misuzu, now standing on her feet again, seemed unfazed. "Thank you", she said earnestly. Lancer, still grinning at Shirou, followed her out. Shirou soon followed, tailed by Saber.

They walked to the gate and stepped out into the street. They rounded a corner and proceeded a few blocks. They reached a crossroad Shirou was very familiar with. From here he could turn to Ryuudou Temple, up the hill to Sakura and Shinji's house and also Tohsaka's if he turned again, or down toward the bridge and the other half of the city. As they were heading to the hospital, they turned down the hill to the bridge.

Misuzu was now limping slightly. If Shirou wasn't watching to make sure she didn't fall down the hill, he probably wouldn't have noticed. Her initial fall was only caused by the surprise that her leg couldn't quite support her whole weight anymore. They walked in silence for a while.

Lancer had changed back into his jeans and Hawaiian shirt, and was walking casually next to the party with his hands behind his head.

Saber, still in her blue and her white dress, was staying close to Shirou, and continuously seemed to keep herself in between him and Lancer. She was willing to accept the man as an ally for now, but she wouldn't give him a clear shot at her master if she could avoid doing so.

"Lancer", Misuzu said, breaking the quiet night. "What happened to Assassin?"

"He got away", he responded simply.

"Did your noble phantasm fail? I thought you said you were sure it could kill him", Misuzu pressed, seeking an answer for why the enemy got away. Based on the explanation Lancer had given of his Noble Phantasm, she was sure it would be enough to end Assassin.

"And I still say it can kill him. I never got to use it though. There was some confusion as he left the shed and I had to defend myself." Lancer stopped there, not elaborating.

"What kind of confusion?" asked Shirou. Noble phantasms were items bound to the legend of a heroic spirit. They were the source of a servant's most powerful abilities, and were what made heroic spirits capable of fighting on equal footing with much more powerful beings. What could have interrupted Lancer from using his?

"I was the confusion", spoke Saber. "I was unaware at the time that Lancer was to be considered an ally. As I chased Assassin I realized another servant was present and preparing to use an unknown ability. Assassin was in complete retreat, so instead of risking that the new enemy's ability would be able to kill myself or you, Shirou, I attacked him before it could be used. I admit now that it was a mistake, but I feel my choice was justified at the time."

Shirou nodded, understanding. "It's alright. In most other cases, that would have been the correct thing to do. It's too bad Assassin got away though, he's been a hassle tonight."

Misuzu sighed. "It may be alright from your perspective, but I wasted a command seal in that fight. I would have liked to see him gone."

Shirou looked at her, confused. "When did you use a command seal?"

"You don't think Lancer can teleport, do you?" Misuzu asked. "That portal that sucked him in was the command seals doing. Assassin had gotten too close to him. Instead of letting him drop his spear and run so that he wouldn't be killed, I ordered him to go outside immediately and wait to ambush Assassin with his noble phantasm if possible. If he hadn't been interrupted, I'm sure Assassin would be no more. I can forgive you, Saber, because of the circumstances."

"Hmm… I did wonder about that. It makes a lot more sense now. By the way, you had told me that you would tell me where you kept your swords that you keep pulling out of nowhere. Are you still willing to share?" requested Shirou.

Misuzu responded by removing the white glove she wore on her right hand again. She held up her fingers for Shirou to exam. He could see small runes inscribed onto each of her nails. "I seal the blades in my finger nails. From pinky to thumb, they are Kannagiri Nagamitsu, the long handled sword you saw in the previous fight, Tachibana Dousetsu Raikiri, the sword you saw both in the school and in the shed, Kashagiri Hiromitsu, which you have not seen, Kogarasumaru Amakuni, the black short sword you also saw in the previous fight, and lastly Doujigiri Yasutsuna, which you have also never seen, and it is unlikely you ever will."

Shirou was stunned. Some of those blades he recognized from legend. For them to be here, in his classmate's possession, was shocking. These weren't simple weapons. Suddenly the idea that her sword, Raikiri she called it, had shot lightning made much more sense.

Misuzu didn't miss his look of awe, and gave him a small knowing smile. This was the first time she had revealed the true nature of her blades to anyone, and she was glad that Shirou could appreciate their history.

"What kind of magic is it that keeps them in that state?" Shirou asked. He hadn't actually seen very much magecraft besides his own, and was impressed by Misuzu's ability to apparently squish the blades into some sort of pocket dimension.

"I am not sure about the specifics of the technique. I learned the ability from reading the forbidden scrolls of my clan. All I know for sure is that it seals the swords in another dimension", Misuzu explained. She put her glove back on and continued down the road.

Shirou hadn't missed the word 'forbidden' in the sentence. Being a bit slow to understand certain concepts, he was quick to mention this. "What do you mean by forbidden? And clan?" he asked blankly. Misuzu remained silent for a moment, causing Shirou to look at her in confusion. After a few moments of this, Shirou finally grasped what these words could mean. He suddenly raised his voice. "I-I'm sorry! You don't have to answer that if you don't want to…" he trailed off quietly as knowledge of his mistake continued to set in and he looked at the ground.

"Perhaps another time. For now, let us focus on getting proper treatment", she responded, looking forward with a small frown.

Shirou noticed the texture of the ground change, and looked up to see they had reached the bridge. As they crossed, a breeze kicked up that chilled Shirou and made him shiver. He looked at Misuzu, who appeared to be fine, even in the brisk sea air. Saber was walking stoically behind him like she had been, and Lancer now had his hands in his pockets. They crossed the bridge in silence and soon arrived at the hospital. The servants stayed outside as Misuzu and Shirou entered.

They were quickly rushed to the front of the small line of late night aid seekers, and explained to the doctors that they had been mugged outside of Shirou's home by a group of thugs wearing masks. The pair had then gone inside of Shirou's home for a quick patch job before walking to the hospital.

The doctors were amazed that Shirou hadn't been bleeding more when he arrived. To completely close the wound, the doctors gave Shirou's shoulder fourteen stiches and some other treatments to make sure the wound would close properly. He was told not to lift any heavy objects and not to move his arms into certain positions, such as stretching it behind himself.

Misuzu's leg wasn't stitched at all, and was simply bandaged more effectively by a professional. After being told to keep her weight off of it for a while if she could, her arm was also given a new bandage, and she was told she had likely experienced a minor concussion. The doctors told her to rest and to return if her light headache got worse.

All in all, they got away much better than they could have, considering the situation.

They left the hospital as soon as they were finished, and, back again with their servants, were back across the bridge shortly after 12:30 am. Misuzu was going to accompany Shirou most of the way back to his home again, just to be safe.

As they neared the intersection where they were going to part ways, Misuzu spoke. "Shirou. I am grateful for your assistance tonight."

Shirou was confused. "You're grateful to me? You saved my life in the school. The rest of the night was you guarding me. I'm the one who should be thankful. Assassin would have killed me twice tonight if it wasn't for your help."

"That may be true", said Misuzu, "but you also saved me twice, and you are no warrior. Yours were the actions that spoke the most of character. It is part of my duties to protect the innocent. You saved me completely out of kindness, and you were going to throw your life away trying to save me from Assassin. When I defended you, I did so after carefully considering the outcomes. I went in with skills that I felt were capable of making me at least capable of stalling Assassin, and I had a servant who I knew was superior to the enemy."

Shirou looked at her, stunned. He hadn't thought about it like that. He personally didn't feel like he had done anything special, but from her point of view, maybe he had. "Well…", he started, not sure how to properly respond to her compliment, "You're welcome then."

"You have proven yourself to be a good person in these past few hours. You have no wish," Saber perked at this, "and your only goal is to save anybody you can. If you would like", Misuzu offered, "I would count you as an ally in this battle."

Shirou examined the hand she had reached out to him. He took only a moment to consider the proposal. "I'll accept on a single condition. I won't ask for specifics, but I want your word that your wish will not bring harm to anyone."

Misuzu stared into Shirou's eyes for a moment, wondering what kind of fool he truly was. She could easily lie to him, not that she would, and he would completely accept her answer. She sighed. "I do not believe my wish would harm anyone, and I pray it does not, but if the Grail were to interpret my wish in certain ways, then a few people may be harmed, or even killed."

Shirou blinked. He had expected her to give him a straight 'no, it will not hurt anyone'. Instead, he received an honest answer that he found to be even more reassuring. He smiled saying, "Then I accept." Shirou reached out and grasped Misuzu's hand in his own, shaking hands and sealing the verbal contract.

Misuzu nodded firmly as their hands released. "I am glad to have somebody to rely on. We can discuss this more tomorrow. For now, good night Emiya-ku-."

The end of her sentence was cut off as a loud smash and rumble filled the air. Shirou and Misuzu turned their heads to see a behemoth of a man round the corner. Shirou made a mental comparison to the Hulk. The beast breathed heavily, almost growling as he starred down the party of four. It carried a massive weapon, longer than Shirou was tall, and it seemed to be carved from a single block of stone. Shirou guessed the beast could bend a half meter or thicker beam of solid steel if it put its mind to it. Its legs were more like tree trunks. The only clothing it wore was a large armored cloth around his waist. Shirou felt an overwhelming aura of death come from the thing.

Over the breathing, Shirou picked up a small giggling noise. "You're scared face is funny, onii-chan. I guess this is the second time we've met here." From behind the monsters leg a small girl came. She had hair as white as snow, and red eyes. The girl wore a long, dark blue coat and a matching hat. The white scarf around her neck matched her hair. She looked at Shirou with a bright and cheery face. "Your confused face is funny too!" said the girl, giggling again. She stopped laughing, and, almost looking a little sad, said, "It's a shame I'll have to kill you."

Shirou did remember the girl. Just the night before this he had seen the girl for a moment. She had passed Shirou and gave him a cryptic message that he should, 'hurry up and summon one or you'll be killed'. It hadn't made sense then, but now all the pieces fell in place. Regardless, Shirou did not know what to do. The beast behind the girl was freezing him on the spot, and he could think of no way to respond to the girl. He barely sensed the rest of the group readying weapons. It was for nothing though; there was no way to survive this…

"My name is Ilya. Ah!" exclaimed the girl, Ilya. "You have a friend with you onii-chan, and she has a servant too! I can kill both of you then!" She giggled happily again. The sight of the innocent little girl laughing and simultaneously threatening his life confused Shirou. "Alright Berserker, go ahead!"

The thing apparently called Berserker leapt forward. "Master! Stay back!" shouted Saber. She rushed at the beast, donning her armor again, and confirming something Shirou had noticed earlier; her sword was, oddly, invisible. She met Berserker head on and attempted to counter his merciless blow with one of her own. She was easily repelled and she slid backward with a pained face.

Berserker closed the distance between them again and continued to strike. Saber was forced to the defensive. Every blow the monster unleashed was one that could unquestionably slay her, and so she had to block every swing with all her might. Try as she might, Saber could find no opening in the beast's offense. He was bigger and wielded a larger weapon, but was still faster than her. Berserker's strikes were so fast that they stirred up a wind that blew against Shirou's face.

The attacks had no skill to them. They were the swings of someone with overwhelming speed and power. It is unlikely that anyone slower or weaker than Saber would be able to survive more than a few seconds against the thing, and a normal human would be instantly obliterated.

The scenery of the street was destroyed by the beast. A telephone pole was smashed in half, a fence was cleaved, and the street was cracked under the beast's overhead strikes. Much to somebody's displeasure, a car was tossed into a rough tumble. Saber continued to be pushed back as Berserker maintained the barrage. Saber kept searching for an opening, but her opponent was too fast, and after a while, she gave up the idea that she would be able to win the fight under the current circumstances.

Lancer moved in to assist. He flanked around the colossal servant and tried to stab at the enemy's spine, but his attack did nothing. It wasn't that something blocked him, but that his attack had simply not harmed the beast. The point of his spear wouldn't piece Berserker's skin, no matter where he struck.

Berserker, who had been continuing to bash against Saber, finally took notice of Lancer. He spun and swung his sword in a massive arc that could have wiped out even the oldest and largest of trees. Lancer steadied himself and blocked the vicious strike. He planned to quickly attempt a counter attack, but before he could even get his weapon into an attacking position, he was again blocking another vicious blow.

Saber, now free to take the offensive, swung at Berserker's knees, hoping to cripple the monster. She met with little success. Her blade skimmed off of her opponent's skin, doing no visual damage. She jumped up and swung at his neck, and again her blade was ineffective, leaving her stunned and barely able to defend from the strike that came her way. She was once again handling the brunt of Berserker's strength, leaving Lancer free to attack again.

Lancer took this time to get ready. He stepped back slightly, giving himself a little more space. He did not intend to waste any more time in trying to slay this titan. He began lunging back into the fray with determination.

Shirou suddenly felt the mana in the air around him begin to consolidate around Lancer. It was no small amount. Shirou felt the mana in the air flow to him in massive amounts. It was both terrifying and impressive. The spear Lancer held began to glow red, and the blood thirst Shirou had felt the thing emitting earlier returned with renewed vigor. The spear knew it was about to draw blood, and it was all too happy to do so.

Lancer, now properly charged and ready, stabbed his spear at Berserker's heart. "GAE! BOLG!" The strike caused a spray of blood to erupt from the target's chest and back.

Saber hopped away to dodge the liquid, as the monster finally slowed down. It looked down at the spear that jutted from its torso. Slowly, Berserker's eyes began to fade to black, as though he was a robot slowly losing power, and he fell forward. The force of the fall caused the spear to be pushed back out of the giant's chest, and it fell to the ground with a few clangs.

Shirou, no longer suppressed by the enemy's aura, took a deep breath. He looked at Misuzu, who was putting one of the swords he had yet to see away. Lancer bent over to retrieve his weapon. "Good job, Lancer", Shirou complimented, still quivering slightly.

Lancer maintained the serious look he had on his face. "It was a group effort", he said, nodding at Saber, who responded in kind. He retrieved his spear and then turned to the little girl who had an angry frown on her face. "Kill us all, you said?" asked Lancer to the girl.

The girl's frown deepened. "Hey! Get up Berserker! This is no time for a nap!"

"Lancer!" shouted Misuzu, seeing the grey giant's massive arm twitch.

Answering the girl's request, the behemoth reached out and grabbed Lancer's leg. Lancer looked down, startled. "H-How the heeeee-!"

Lancer's words stretched as he was suddenly lifted off the ground and thrown back down like a toy. Berserker, now standing again, proceeded to smash Lancer against the ground again, as though he enjoyed destroying the ground with the spearman's head. He then threw Lancer back toward Misuzu and Shirou, where he landed on his stomach, unconscious and bleeding. Berserker roared.

"How?" asked Saber, eyes wide with something she had not felt for a long time: fear. The monster moved to strike at her again.

"Teehee", laughed the small girl again. "Why yes Lancer, I did say I'd kill you all. Did you really think you could slay Hercules, the greatest of all heroes, so easily?" The girl was smiling again.

Berserker's bombardment continued as though he never stopped in the first place. Saber was once again put on the defensive. She began blocking again, putting all her might into stalling the monstrosity while she figured out how to proceed. Berserker had just been stabbed in the heart. He had _died_. Saber had watched the life in his eyes fade, only for the giant to stand back up, fully healed, and try to kill her again.

She managed to dodge a strike, saving herself some energy. The hits were wearing her down fast, and there was nothing she could do. There was no evidence that killing him again would make him stay dead, and all she could do was wait for the inevitable.

As the strikes continued, Shirou could only stand in horror as his servant valiantly tried to hold her own. She blocked another attack and another blast of the awful steal on stone sound assaulted Shirou ears. Shirou could see Saber visibly weaken after each consecutive block. She lost more ground with every bash, and soon, she could barely hold her sword. After what seemed like an eternity to Shirou, Saber could no longer defend properly.

Saber's stance faltered, and she knew it. She braced herself as best she could, and put her blade in front of the coming strike. Due to her poor footing, she was launched backwards, flying in a large arc. As she flew she turned and managed to land on her feet with a grunt of pain. She looked down to see blood flowing down her arm and chest. Berserker lifted his weapon again, savagely roaring at her.

"Saber! Run!" shouted Shirou.

The stone weapon fell, and Saber once again put her sword in front of the blow. The strikes continued endlessly, remorselessly, ruthlessly, and yet she continued to defend herself, face stuck in a grimace as she tried with all her might to block each swing.

Berserker's blows ceased for a moment. He released another roar, the loudest yet, as though trying to break Saber's will to continue the fight. He then brought his arm all the way back and, stepping into the strike, struck from the side with all his might. Saber was launched, a spray of blood trailing her path. Even though her sword had tried to block the attack, the raw power of it pushed her blade aside and left her side torn asunder.

Shirou watched in a daze as the girl forced herself back up using her sword as blood began pooling around her feet. Berserker stopped his assault then, waiting quietly.

"Ha, I should have known there wouldn't be much competition." Ilya looked at Shirou and Misuzu with eyes of evil and joy. It was the look of one who knew she held victory in her hands, and had only to make the final blow to seal the fact.

Shirou looked at Saber, still trying to regain her stance to defend herself. He looked at Berserker, quietly awaiting his orders. He looked at Ilya, still smiling devilishly. And he looked at Misuzu, who was staring at Berserker with a look of awe and fear.

"Berserker… kill them please", Ilya commanded. "And make sure you destroy the servants' bodies completely. I don't want them coming back."

Berserker lifted his weapon to end Saber's life. He looked again at his servant, who was about to die trying to defend his life. Shirou watched the barbaric weapon rise, and made a snap decision. He could not accept this. He rushed forward. The event seemed to last an eternity. He thought he heard Misuzu gasp. He arrived at his goal, directly between of Saber and Berserker. He pushed her aside. The last thing he remembered was his world exploding in pain.


	3. Settling In

A/N: Hello readers! So I guess I've managed to scrounge up a small bunch of you that liked my story enough to follow it, and for that, I thank you. It's feels good to know there's a few people who enjoy my writing so far. I was hoping to get this out by Christmas, but things got busy and I guess you get a New Year's gift instead. This chapter isn't nearly as long as the last one and it is a bit more slowly paced. I've decided to release my chapters by days. One day will be one chapter, no matter how long or short. I'm also hoping to have another chapter out by the end of January before school starts up again, but we'll see what happens. Feel free to PM me any questions (Remember, I'm BXRenegade) and post reviews. I don't really have much else to say, so enjoy the chapter.

O O O

Fate/Red Night – Chapter 2 – Settling In

Shirou awoke in his room the next day, startled. He felt awful. As he opened his eyes, nausea swept over his body, and he took a deep breath, fighting the urge to vomit. He took a moment to collect himself, and then gently rose from his bed. Sitting up, he discovered a small pile of little strings by his head, and wondered why they were there.

Standing made his headache worse. For a few quick minutes, Shirou simply leaned against the wall and fought off the pain and nausea he was experiencing. He took a deep breath, and felt just capable enough to start his day.

He changed out of his clothes. He had apparently been sweating a lot through the night, and had drenched his shirt. He then moved to the bathroom, took a cloth, damped it with cool water, and wiped some of the excess sweat from his body. He wiped his face, and the cooling sensation made it much easier to focus. He wiped his arms and then moved to his torso. As he did so he noticed he was wrapped in bandages. He tried to recall how they got there. He also noticed that his shoulder was perfectly normal, which, for some reason he couldn't identify, seemed odd. Not understanding the presence of the bandages, he left them on.

Cleaned and semi-ready for the day, he walked out of the bathroom toward the kitchen, hoping to find some food. He still felt sick, but his body screamed for energy. He grumbled his way through the hall. He seriously wondered what had put him in such a state. "_Illness_?_ That seems unlikely, as it wouldn't explain the bandages_", he thought."_Maybe I got hit by a car_", he thought sarcastically."_But then, why am I not in a hospital_?" Ironically, the last guess wasn't far from the truth.

As he walked, he noticed the quiet. "_Sakura and Fuji-nee must be at practice for the archery club_", he thought. He walked into the living room. It was, he vaguely realized, a normal Sunday morning.

"Good morning, Emiya-kun. I hope you do not mind my intrusion."

There, sitting on a cushion, in his home, was Misuzu Kusakabe. It was, he vaguely realized, no longer a normal Sunday morning.

He blinked, not quite capable of handling the situation in his current mental state. He sat down slowly, which served to slightly clear his head. He took a deep breath, deciding to attack this problem head on. "Kusakabe-san, what are you doing here?" he asked.

Misuzu closed her eyes, took a sip of the tea she had prepared, and released a gentle sigh. "Do you remember nothing of last night?"

"_Last night_?" he thought. He looked at Misuzu and understanding slowly swept over him. She severed as a catalyst to ignite his memory. Images of blood, combat, fear, and magic filled his mind. "How am I alive?" he asked quizzically. He remembered jumping in front of Saber, the giant's sword falling, pain, and then… nothing. He also realized what the small strings by his bed were, and why his shoulder being normal was odd. The stab wound from Assassin was healed and the stiches had managed to fall out, leaving behind unblemished skin.

"You remember then?" Misuzu asked rhetorically. "I cannot say saving your servant like that was the wisest thing I've ever seen someone do. I feel I must commend your bravery, but that I must also condemn your foolishness."

Shirou's brain finally kicked up to its proper levels at her criticism. "It was the only choice! I wasn't going to let her die like that! I mean, when you look at these results it looks bad, but I was planning on doing it better."

Misuzu opened her eyes again. She slowly turned her cool gaze to Shirou. "Shirou, if a master dies, the servant will disappear anyways", she explained. "Or so Lancer claims. Everything he told me has been correct so far, so I doubt that this is wrong. Surely you were aware of this."

Shirou couldn't say he was aware, actually. Knowing himself though, he doubted the information would have stopped him. Shirou continued his protest, "It's not that I was protecting her with intentions of dying. I was just intending to save her, and it just happened the way it did." He actually had been aware that he would probably die if he got within that beasts range, but he left that part out.

"What are you bothered for anyways?" Shirou asked. "You're not the one who would have been killed. You would have been one step closer to winning this war", Shirou innocently observed.

"Have you forgotten already?" Misuzu asked. She frowned slightly. She spoke with a growing intensity, "You and I were allies as of last night. Your death means I lose that ally. I would prefer you not make your own death the first action you take after entering this partnership. You had me worried for hours last night!" Misuzu's face was angered for a moment, purple irises ablaze. She took a deep breath and regained her composure. "Your decision was not proper." She returned again to her tea.

Shirou was startled by the outburst. Her usual calmness had become something Shirou was accustomed to from school, and the image was reinforced after last night. Having her snap at him like that felt less like a small outburst and more like an explosion. He took a moment to consider his situation again. He realized a few things in quick succession, ending with an understanding that she must have helped him after last night. "I understand why you're angry, I guess. Thank you, by the way. I guess you helped me out last night."

"You're welcome. Your wounds were…", Misuzu paused, unsure of how to describe the sight she had seen. His viscera had been scattered out around him in a brutal spray of gore. "…extreme", she finished. "After you passed out, Berserker and his master left. I am unsure of how to describe what happened after that. First you were on the ground, and I was certain you had passed from this world. However, as I stood, unsure of what to do, your body began to put itself back together."

This confused Shirou. "What do you mean I put myself back together? It wasn't anything I did, at least not intentionally." Shirou pondered what could have done such a thing. He was always someone who had healed quickly, but he wouldn't be surprised if he had been cleaved in half last night. By all rights, he should be dead.

"Your body simply began to reform", Misuzu explained. "Everything that had been removed from you moved back in. It was a strange sight. The damage began to knit itself back together, and after about 10 minutes, you looked well enough to be moved back here. I had assumed the healing was some sort of contingency you had in case something like that happened. However, you say that this was not your own doing. My only guess is that it must have been something on your servant's end."

Shirou couldn't think of any other explanation either. He didn't know what else to say on the topic, so he searched for something new to discuss. After a pause in the discussion, Misuzu beat him to it.

"Do your plans for this battle remain the same, Shirou? You had said you have no wish for the Grail; that you desired to fight to preserve lives. Does that remain true?"

Shirou responded with an affirmative nod. "Yes", he said, "that is my plan still. Last night before Berserker attacked, you said we should discuss the details of our partnership. If you'd like, we can do that in a little bit. I'd like to make some breakfast though, because I'm starved."

Saying that, Shirou got up from his seat and went to the kitchen and pondered what kind of power could have saved him. He looked through his kitchen supplies. He decided on a quick western-style breakfast. He grabbed some eggs and jam and threw some bread in the toaster. "Kusakabe-san, would you like anything to eat?" he offered.

Misuzu looked up from her tea. "If you are offering, then perhaps something small."

"I'm making eggs and toast. Is that alright?" Shirou asked, not knowing her eating habits.

"That would be most gracious of you", she replied.

Shirou grabbed an extra set of eggs and laid out two more pieces of bread to be toasted, while making a mental note to buy more of each. Deciding he wanted to be as simple as possible, he threw all the eggs in with some milk to be scrambled. The food was prepared quickly and soon enough Shirou dished out two plates.

Sitting down opposite of his surprise guest, Shirou took a few bites and then initiated the conversation again. "So, we're working together. How exactly do we want this partnership to function? I'm sure you have a wish for the Grail, but I only want to keep people from dying during this war. As long as you're honest about your promise that you won't hurt anyone, I don't really see any problems with me supporting you during the war."

"I do", Misuzu replied seriously. "To be properly summoned, the Grail requires the sacrifice of 6 of the 7 servants. Assume for a moment that we do succeed in making it all the way to the end of this fight. We will still have to battle, even if we do not want to, if the Grail is to materialize."

Shirou hadn't considered this. He had wondered why the masters had to do battle, other than that they had to determine who would get the wish. "I see", said Shirou. He was silent for a while, as was Misuzu. The idea that an ally would have to eventually become an enemy didn't sit well with him. Then he realized something. "Isn't it possible that Lancer or Saber might not make it to the end?" Shirou didn't like the idea, but it was possible, and it would serve to solve the problem of having to fight Misuzu.

"That is a possibility. However, it is still also possible that they both survive until the end of this war. What then? Will one of us sacrifice our servant to allow someone else to win the Grail? I do not believe either of us has any desire to do that." Misuzu remained analytical the entire time, and ended by taking a bite of her toast.

Her point was valid, Shirou realized. It was just as likely that both servants would make it to the end as it was that one of them would fall. Shirou saw only one conclusion, and he didn't like it.

"Then they will have to fight", he said with a frown. If it was true that the sixth servant needed to be sacrificed, then at least one of their two servants would have to fall, or else the war would go on forever. "Wait a minute", he said suddenly. "What if we didn't have to fight? We could just let the war go on without being fought."

Misuzu's mouth thinned. It wasn't anger; it was more like she was displeased. "Shirou, while that may be a way to avoid the need for us to fight, I still desire my wish. Besides, even if I were willing to do this, the church would step in and force us into battle. They oversee this war, and it is their duty to make sure it goes smoothly."

Shirou felt defeated. The idea of this alliance lasting the whole way through like he had hoped was ruined. "Well I guess we'll deal with that problem when it arrives. Until then, let's just focus on making at least one of our servants survive."

Misuzu accepted that for the time being. She didn't like to leave potential problems unsolved, but decided that, since there were few enough options available, the problem would be solved quickly if it appeared. She still had one question. "When the time to fight the other masters comes, Emiya-kun, how will you respond? So far your only agreement is that you will not attack me. You also wish to prevent casualties. Can I count on your assistance in a fight?"

Shirou hadn't thought about that either, which was stupid of him, he realized. He agreed to be her ally, but to what extent? Was it his intention to simply idle by while she fought on her own? "I understand that only one of the servants can survive", he said. "However, it is perfectly acceptable that all masters _do _survive. They don't need to die. As long as we aren't attacking them without a very good reason, I will help you fight."

"Thank you", Misuzu replied with a nod. "I'm sure that between Lancer and Saber, we will have a strong chance of winning this fight. My only concern is Berserker, but I don't think we have the strength to do much to the regenerating servant, so we'll not worry about him until there is actually something that we _can _do."

With the conversation seemingly over, Shirou focused on eating his food. He didn't want to dwell on unpleasant business. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, and Shirou deposited the plates in the sink. Shirou noted that, regardless of how she had only requested a small amount of food, her plate was empty. He had made the same amount of food for her as he had made for himself, which was a sizeable amount. He suspected that she hadn't had anything other than the tea since last night's dinner. He returned to the table, not sure what to say. As the now awkward silence went on, Shirou realized something. "Hey, what happened to our servants?"

Misuzu drank the last of her tea. "I believe they are in the dojo. Saber wandered out there this morning, and Lancer followed her out a while after. I should actually go find Lancer, since we should be leaving. I have abused your hospitality long enough." She rose form her seat and moved to the door that opened to the backyard.

"No, it's fine", Shirou replied quickly as Misuzu began to leave. "It's good we had this talk. I think a lot of things are clearer now", he said with a few small nods. He got up from his seat to escort her out, as well as to check on Saber.

They walked across the yard to the dojo. As they neared, Shirou heard something that gave him a fright. It was the sound of metal clanging together, and it was all too common in his ears as of last night. Fearing that the servants may not have gotten along very well, Shirou ran the short remaining distance to the door. He flung the door open, and saw what he feared. Both servants were armored and carrying their weapons.

Lancer pushed himself off the ground and dodged Saber's invisible blade. He swung his spear in a wide swipe, hoping to gain himself some distance. Saber blocked his hasty attack, and pushed his spear away. Lancer took a quick jump back, and precisely stuck his spear in between the floorboards of the dojo, while Saber closed the distance on him again. Lancer firmly grasped his spear, and flung himself around it, spinning himself back toward Saber feet first.

Saber, startled by the move, raised her sword to defend against the kick. Lancer's momentum pushed her off of her feet, and onto her back. She swung her sword forward, batting away Lancer's attack which was coming at her throat.

Shirou began moving to stop the fighting. Exactly how he was going to do this he was unsure, but he wasn't going to let the two servants who were supposed to be working together kill each other. Before he could complete his first step however, Misuzu's arm blocked his path.

It was Saber's turn to raise herself from the ground. In one movement she rolled to dodge the red spear and simultaneously put her feet back underneath her. She leaped back into the fight, not giving Lancer any time to begin stabbing at her. The red spear stopped her swing, and then her next strike as well.

Lancer, realizing he was stuck on the defensive, kept his spear in between him and Saber. He continued to fend off her blows, waiting for his chance. It didn't take long, and the powerful swing he was waiting for came from his right. Instead of blocking the weapon head on, he angled his spear and let the blow skim down the weapon to his side. As Saber tried to recover from her swing, Lancer swatted her in the side with the shaft of the spear, stunning her for a moment. He twirled the bladed end back to his front, and stabbed at her again.

Saber had just enough time to block the spear again, and disengaged from her opponent by taking two jumps back. She starred Lancer down as he did the same. "Enough", she stated. "Our masters have arrived."

"Oh?" Lancer turned his head to the door, and noticed Misuzu holding back a very confused and agitated Shirou. His weapon dematerialized and his armor was replaced by the clothes he had 'barrowed' from that lovely department store the night before.

"W-what are you two doing?" Shirou asked loudly, confused by the sudden drop in hostility the two were showing. "Why are you fighting in here?" Misuzu finally stopped holding him back, and he stumbled forward slightly. "Are you two okay?" Shirou's voice was practically dripping with concern.

Saber, surprised by her master's tone, answered with a placating tone. "It was just a simple sparring match, master. Lancer interrupted my meditation about an hour ago, and suggested that we keep our skills honed. I did not intend to cause you alarm."

Shirou paused, mouth agape. They were sparring? It looked far more aggressive than any sparring he had seen before.

"Trust me kid, if we were actually fighting, you would have known", Lancer said with his same casual smirk. "I doubt this building would still be here if we really fought. We were allowing almost full power for defense, but were limiting our offense to less than half strength so that we didn't actually kill each other. It was more like a light workout than anything."

Shirou thought about that for a moment, and realized Lancer must be telling the truth. The display may have looked lethal, but thinking back to the combat he had witnessed last night, it was comparatively much slower.

"Who won?" asked Misuzu.

Saber and Lancer looked at each other.

"I had the first chance at a lethal blow if I actually wished to take it", said Saber, "but Lancer ended with having had two more chances at taking my life than I had at taking his. If it is acceptable with you, Lancer, I would call it a draw for now."

"Yeah, that sounds fair", he answered.

"Lancer, we are leaving", Misuzu said.

"Eh? I thought that we were staying here", Lancer responded.

"Staying?" questioned Shirou.

"It was a small idea I had had", Misuzu replied. "If Lancer and I were to remain here for the duration of the war, we would be able to coordinate ourselves more effectively. I decided against this however, since it would not be proper, and I do not wish to impose."

Shirou took a moment to consider the proposal. "Hmm. You're right though. Besides being able to strategize easier, we would also be safer. With Assassin and Berserker running around, it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep our defenses in one place… I'm not sure how some of the people who come here often will react though." He himself wasn't actually sure of this. He had never had a girl his age besides Sakura stay at his home, and Sakura was more like family.

Misuzu was slightly startled. She hadn't expected him to go for the idea, and that's why she had dropped it. "You mean you actually find the idea acceptable?" she said in a voice that displayed her surprise.

Shirou nodded. "I'll just need to find a way to explain this to Fuji-nee. I don't think that she'll be thrilled with the idea. I don't know how Sakura will react either."

"I will need to explain things to my mother", Misuzu said. She had not thought of how to tell anyone of this since she had thought the idea wasn't going to reach fruition.

Shirou paused. He had forgotten to consider Misuzu's family. "Does your mother know about the war?" he asked. Her response did not surprise Shirou.

"I have kept the information hidden from her for now", she said. "I will tell her if it becomes necessary. Until then, I do not see a reason to have her worrying for me." She paused for a moment, in case Shirou had anything to interject. "I will go and gather what I need. I will return by dinner."

Shirou would have to come to terms with the situation before that time. He knew his reasons were good, but it still made him rather uncomfortable. "Alright. There shouldn't be anybody over tonight, so I don't think I'll have to deal with Fuji-nee until tomorrow morning." He really hoped no one at school found out about this. He would be torn to shreds by the other male students if they found out Misuzu was staying at his home, especially if it was for an extended period.

"Which kind of room would you like?" Shirou inquired. "The house is half Japanese and half Western style if you haven't seen yet. I'll dust out a room for you." He internally hoped that she would say Western, as it would keep her in the other half of the house at night.

"I would like a Western style room", she requested. "I have used both in the past, but my current home is mostly Western, and I have become accustomed to it."

Shirou released an inner sigh. That would at least make it a little easier to convince Fuji-nee that this was okay, and his mind would be put to ease a little more. Having her in his house was making him nervous enough, but to have her sleeping just a room or two away? It would drive him mad.

Saber spoke up from the side. "Master, where will I be sleeping?"

"Sleeping?" asked Shirou. "I don't mean to be rude, but I thought that you would just go into spirit form at night. Why would you need a bed?"

"I have tried going into spirit form", she replied. "It does not seem to be working, and I'm not sure why. My only guess is that my summoning was imperfect, since you were interrupted by Assassin. Regardless, I cannot enter my spirit form, and will likely remain in this state for the duration of the Grail War."

Shirou was slightly troubled by that. If this had gone wrong, then something else could have also been flawed. He hoped for the best. "Well… where do you want to sleep then?"

"Excuse me, Shirou", Misuzu interrupted. "Lancer and I will be leaving if there is nothing else you need to discuss immediately."

"No, that's fine", he responded. "I'll see you later then." He bowed slightly to Misuzu, and she returned it at a slightly deeper angle out of respect for her host.

Misuzu and Lancer stepped out of the dojo into the morning sun. In that light, Shirou noticed for the first time just how lovely she actually was. Her red hair swung lightly in the slight breeze, and shined in the golden rays. The pale skin of her cheek that Shirou could still see made his heart skip a short beat before Lancer closed the door. "_Where the hell are those thoughts coming from_?" he asked himself.

Saber noticed her master's lingering gaze. He seemed to be distracted by the girl's presence. From what she could see, she concluded that her master was poor at interacting with women he didn't know well.

She spoke a quick word to retrieve his attention. "Shirou."

"Hmm?" he replied, turning his head back to his servant. "Oh right. You need a place to sleep. Western or Japanese style?" he asked, giving the same options he had offered Misuzu.

"I would prefer to sleep in your room", was her response.

Shirou practically fell over from the metaphorical force of her words. "W-what was that now? I think I heard you wrong."

"I would prefer to sleep in your room", she repeated unreasonably calmly.

"I… I…" he stuttered, unsure of how to respond to her declaration. "I don't think that's a good idea", he tried to counter.

"It is a servant's job to protect their master", Saber asserted. "I cannot perform that duty if I am not close to you. You are most vulnerable at night, and if I am not close, an enemy such as Assassin may take advantage of this and attack you. I need to be nearby to respond to such a situation."

Shirou struggled to find a counter argument, but the only thing that came to his mind was his own unwillingness to share his room with the beautiful girl. "I really don't think that's a good idea", he said again, laughing slightly at the helplessness of the situation. Apprehension displayed itself clearly on his face.

Saber recalled her previous conclusion. "Master, it is not wise to think of us servants as human. We are your weapons, and should only be considered as such."

Shirou's face quickly shifted to a frown at this. "I can't do that", he said sternly. "No matter how I look at it, you're standing in front of me, and you look pretty human to me. That's enough reason for me to treat you as a person."

Saber was slightly stunned. She hadn't expected that sort of response. She was coming to slowly realize that her current master was vastly different from her previous one. Her last master had been cold, calculating, and used any means necessary to get the result he needed, as long as the plan didn't harm anyone it didn't need to. This boy, although he carried the same name and lived in the same house, was vastly different. She had seen him be warm, kind, and welcoming. Where her last master would have jumped to the side and fired that silly gun of his at Berserker, Shirou had instead risked his life and taken the blow in her stead. She had no doubt he was a fool for doing so. It was the stupidest thing she had ever seen. Now the idiot wasn't going to let a woman sleep in his room. She had conflicting feelings about the characteristics of her master.

She sighed internally. She didn't want to argue with the benevolent fool, and decided to search for a compromise. "I would like to sleep as close to you as possible then", she said, crossing her arms over her chest and giving him a displeased look. She would not relent on this point.

Shirou was confused by her sudden change of heart. He grasped onto the thread of hope and immediately made his suggestion. "You can sleep in the attached room! It's connected directly to mine, so you'll only be a short distance away with only one door separating us." The idea still left him uncomfortable, but it was infinitely better in his mind to have one door between them than it was to have none. Besides, he had to at least admit that she made some fair points. Having her close was a good idea, but her idea of close was too close.

Saber paused for a moment, considering the proposal. "Fine", she said, returning to her usual passivity.

It was Shirou's turn to sigh. He hadn't gotten a full victory, but his sudden half-baked success was better than nothing, and he was happy with it for now.

Saber's face became a little serious. "While we have some privacy, there are two things I would like to discuss."

Shirou looked at her with interest. His few interactions with his servant to this point hadn't given him much to go on in terms of her personality, but he could tell she had some matters she considered important to talk about. "Okay, I don't mind, but tell me what it's about first. I can't tell if these are good things or bad things."

"I would consider both bad", she replied.

"_Well, at least she's honest_",Shirou thought as he walked toward the dojo door, gesturing for Saber to follow. "I'll listen seriously then", he stated. He stepped into the cool air of the late morning, and smiled lightly as the sun's warmth splashed his face gently. The breeze rustled his hair slightly, and he was pleasantly refreshed for the moment. This was one of those rare, perfect weather days. He started walking back to the home, intent to rest for a while before Misuzu returned. As he crossed the grass, Saber started her conversation.

"The first thing I must discuss is the matter of my identity. I must ask that you forgive me for not telling you", she requested.

"I don't mind. I'm not really a good master in the first place. I doubt knowing your name would help me out a whole lot with planning anything", he admitted. "Can I ask why you don't want to tell me though?"

She remained honest with her response. "Because I do not feel you are capable of keeping it hidden. As you just said, you are not an exceptionally capable master. On top of that, you are a relatively weak magus from what I've seen and far to kind for this era. I'm sorry to be rude, but I think it would be safer to keep my identity hidden from you, so that the information cannot be extracted from you by a superior magus or a slip of the tongue."

Shirou nodded along with her points. "I forgive you then. I won't deny that all your points are valid. With me as a master, it's good that you take any measures you can to help us. What's the second thing then?" he asked, stepping into the back door of his home.

"Thank you for understanding. The second matter is more complicated", she claimed. She looked down, her face displaying an emotion that was a cross between nervous and displeased. "Servants maintain themselves through the magical energy we receive from our masters. But there's a problem with our bond."

Shirou took a guess, "I'm a poor master, so you're not getting much energy, right?" Shirou rounded the corner into the hall, setting his bedroom as his destination.

She looked back up at him. "That is not the case. If I received only a little energy, I would be fine. However, the spiritual bond we should share is completely absent."

Shirou considered that for a moment. "Then", he paused, "What's going to happen to you? If you can't replenish your magical energy, what will happen?"

"If I exhaust my reserves, I will not be able to sustain myself in this world, and I will vanish", she explained. "Because of this, I would like to be allowed to sleep as much as possible. I doubt my energy will regenerate this way, but it shouldn't be expended either. I won't be able to protect you at all times, but it is necessary if we wish to win." The pair stepped into what Saber assumed was Shirou's bedroom.

"Alright, that's fine. You can rest as much as you want then. If that lets you stay around longer, then that's good." Shirou opened up the door to the side room connected to his.

Saber nodded. "Then I will be sleeping often, to preserve as much energy as possible. Please do not leave the house during these times. If you are attacked, then I will not be able to respond immediately and help you."

Shirou began clearing out her sleeping space. He understood. He would try his best to remain safe, and he expressed those sentiments to her. "As long as we don't get into too many fights, we should be fine then right?" Shirou didn't really need to dust the room out since he occasionally cleaned it, as it was directly attached to his own room.

"Yes", Saber replied. "In the previous war, I only fought a handful of times. We won't need to fight every battle, as servants will defeat each other for us."

"Hmm, I see", respond Shirou. "The only fights we need to fight in are the ones we choose and the ones Kusakabe-san needs help with, since I've agreed to cooperate with her."

The conversation lulled for a moment, and then it hit Shirou. "Wait, what do you mean the previous war? You were summoned before?"

"Yes, I fought in the last Holy Grail War", she replied with no inflection. It was a simple statement as though it didn't matter.

"Did you last until the end?" Shirou queried.

"Yes", Saber replied again. "I had no restrictions and could fight with my full power constantly. In time, I was able to defeat all my opponents. Also my master was… cunning." She was bitter with the last word. "His methods were effective. They were also dishonorable."

Shirou realized he was given a weapon that he was completely uncertified for. Someone like Tohsaka would have been a much better master for Saber. "I'm sure you have all sorts of problems with a weak master like me then", offered Shirou, giving Saber an opportunity to voice her complaints if she wished.

"I only wish to fulfill the tasks I am given. I don't have any complaints about the circumstances", she responded.

Shirou stepped out of the room, having finished the quick tidy up. He didn't know how to comment on her declaration. He knew she was being honest, so he couldn't help but wonder what kind of life she had led to have such principles.

"Thank you for the room master", said Saber. "If you have no objections, I'll be sleeping now, to save as much energy as possible." Shirou didn't object, and she closed the sliding door, telling him she would return for dinner, and that he shouldn't go anywhere without her.

Shirou left quietly, and went to clean out a room for Misuzu. When he completed that task, he decided it was time for his rest. He grabbed a thick blanket and tossed it on the porch outside his room that opened into the yard. He sprawled out on the blanket and finally took his rest, basking in the pleasant weather.

X X X

He awoke a few hours later to being tapped on the head. He opened his eyes to a frightful sight. The servant of the master he had allied himself with was tapping him in the head with his spear. Shirou, upon realizing this, almost jumped out of his skin in fright. He scrambled backwards, heart racing, attempting to defend himself.

"Hey! Careful there! Running around like that, I might accidently gut you like a fish", Lancer shouted with a twinge of annoyance and anger. "I don't think either of us wants that, and I know my master would be a little pissed. You lived through that nasty wound earlier but I wouldn't test your luck if I were you."

"What the hell are you doing?!" exclaimed Shirou.

"Eh? Isn't it obvious? I'm waking your ass up", Lancer said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'm supposed to tell you that we're here, so… We're here!" the spearman said with a big smile. He then turned around and walked off happily, chuckling lightly with his spear lying over his shoulder.

Shirou watched the servant swagger off. "Jerk…" he mumbled under his breath. He got up from the ground, gathered his blanket up. He checked the time. 5:30 pm. It was a good time to start dinner, especially since he had skipped lunch.

"Saber", he said, knocking on the door to his side room. "Are you awake?"

There was a pause. As Shirou was about to walk away, the door slowly opened. "Good evening master. Is it time for dinner?"

"Yeah. Kusakabe-san and Lancer arrived just a bit ago", he informed her.

"I will be out soon then. I am still waking up", she claimed.

Shirou informed her he was going to start dinner, and left her to go do just that. Walking toward the living room, he searched for his guests. Not finding them in the entryway or living room, he assumed that they were settling into the room he had cleaned out.

Shirou walked into the kitchen and examined his fridge. He was in a good mood and wanted to leave a good impression on his first day hosting Misuzu. Judging from what he had seen of her, he assumed she would prefer something of the Japanese style. Saber and Lancer looked more western, but that was based solely on appearance, and they could have vastly varying tastes. Lancer had complemented the curry last night, but he had yet to meet someone who had tried and disliked his rice curry. He looked through his vegetables and found the last thing he was looking for, some daikon. With that in hand, he settled on oden. There would be at least one or two items in the pot that each person would be willing to eat. It was more of a winter dish, but since the nights were getting cold, he decided he could get away with it. It would be a good way to test everybody's tastes. He also took a moment to ready some green tea.

He began making his hotpot and was surprised when he turned around later to find Misuzu and Lancer sitting quietly at the table. Thankfully, he realized, Lancer had put his spear away. Saber walked in shortly after. When the tea was done, he removed it from the heat and transferred it to the table with some cups.

Misuzu, who had had her eyes closed, looked up when Shirou arrived. He poured her a cup of tea, followed by one for Saber, Lancer, and finally himself. He sat down next to Lancer, putting the men on one side of the table with the women on the other, and both servants in the middle.

"We're having oden", Shirou informed the group. "So it's going to be a while until it's done. I also have some potstickers boiling for an appetizer if anyone wants some when they're done."

"On a more serious note, I think we should discuss how to proceed with the Grail War."

Shirou took a drink of his tea. "Okay then. Do you have any plans?"

"I think we should start by simply scouting out other masters", Misuzu suggested. "As of now we only know of four masters, Illyasviel von Einzbern, Tohsaka Rin, you, and I. That leaves three unknowns throughout this entire city. Until we've confirmed at least 1 or 2 more of them, I do not think it is wise to make any large scale offensives."

Shirou agreed with her reasoning, and nodded along. "Okay then. Play it safe. I agree with you. The next question then is, 'How do we scout the city?' The idea itself is good, but how do we search an entire city by ourselves? Even moving separately, scanning all of Fuyuki at night would take more time than I'd like" said Shirou with exasperation.

"You still wish to protect innocents correct? I think the best way for you to do that would be to get out on the streets. You can accomplish both tasks at once with one action."

Shirou drank his tea in silence for a moment and pondered the idea. He eventually agreed with her method after finding no real downsides, and they decided to start patrolling the streets starting tomorrow night. With a plan of action in mind, Shirou wasn't exactly sure what to say.

Shirou sat in his usual seat, and that made him slightly more comfortable. However, he had a strange man sitting next to him who occasionally wore tight blue armor that could be mistaken for spandex at distance and wielded an evil red spear. Past that spearman was a female swordsman wearing a beautiful blue dress that would sit under her silver armor. When needed, she wielded an invisible sword. If the first two weren't disconcerting enough, they were also famous heroes of the past that had accomplished the feats that children dream of at night. Lastly, and probably the person that set him the most on edge, was one of the girls that would constantly rank in the top 3 in the popularity poles the guys made in his school. To top it all off, he had been forced to completely change his views on this final person. She had went from the quiet beauty in his class to a person who he knew wouldn't hesitate to draw her sword on her enemies, as long as they were deserving of it. All he could do as he thought these things was sip his tea and try not to have a heart attack.

After a few minutes of this silence, Shirou got up, went to the kitchen, and blended together the ingredients for the potstickers' sauce. When that was done, he passed out four plates, set the sauce on the table, and returned just in time to remove the appetizer from the heat. He grabbed a pair of clean chopsticks and ate one experimentally. Nodding in self-approval, he transferred the food to a new dish and placed it in the center of the table. He stepped back into the kitchen for a moment to make sure his oden was cooking properly.

"They look wonderful", said Misuzu, as Shirou returned to his seat. She wasn't sure how formal to be, so she decided to test the waters, and was the first to take a grab for one of the snacks. Shirou did not object. Placing it in her mouth, she chewed, and couldn't help but release a quiet, appreciative hum.

Saber, seeing the other girl's face, was a quick to grab one for herself. She gave a similar reaction.

Lancer, noticing that the first two had apparently found the odd snack delightful, grabbed one of his own. He looked oddly at Shirou as he began eating, and Shirou gazed back. Slowly, Lancer's face turned from the slightly suspicious look it had held to a smile of his own. He nodded exaggeratedly and said, "Kid… I ate some good food in my time, but I have to say, your cooking is among the best." Saber grabbed another potsticker, as if she were agreeing with Lancer.

Misuzu looked at Shirou. "I had suspected that last night's meal may have simply been a fluke. If your dinner tonight is this good also, then I will have no reason at all to complain about how we are fed. I suspect now that your cooking may surpass my own."

Finishing her sentence, she gave Shirou the first honest, happy smile he had seen on her face. It was still soft though, like most of the expression she gave. "_She should do that more often_", he thought. "_That smile suits her_." Realizing his situation, as well as his own thoughts, Shirou blushed slightly and looked away from her to the wall. "Well I wouldn't know", he said, trying to find something to say. "We'd have to compare I guess." Saber grabbed another potsticker.

Misuzu looked thoughtful for a moment. "Fine then", she said with a light nod. "If you will allow me in your kitchen, I would be willing to alternate on making meals. It is the least I could do as a guest."

Shirou was shocked. Saber grabbed another potsticker. He was going to have one of the school's idols in his home, sleeping in his home, and enjoying meals with him, _in his home_. That alone was enough to make most the school green with envy. But now, to his surprise, he was going to have her cooking for him, once again, _in his home_. If the other students wouldn't have been murderous at the knowledge two minutes ago, they definitely would be now. Saber grabbed another potsticker.

Lancer, being the first to notice Saber's indulgences, grabbed another for himself before they were gone.

Misuzu, noticing her servant, attempted to gather some more of the delicious food for herself, and grabbed two more for herself before the blonde servant could dwindle the supply down any further.

Shirou remained speechless. Saber grabbed another potsticker.

Shirou thought about the proposal for a while longer, still gawking at the wall he had glanced at earlier. He gently rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm glad… to accept then?" he managed.

"I would be happy to do so", Misuzu replied, her voice returning to its same cooled tone.

Wondering what could have turned her mood back to its original placidity, Shirou turned back to the table. He wasn't sure what to make of what he saw. Lancer pushed the plate of potstickers farther away from himself and into the fray of grabbing before him with his chopsticks, using them as a means to avoid losing a finger. Both Misuzu's and Saber's faces were solid in concentration. Each had a hand wielding their chopsticks above the plate, and their hands moved with quick movements. The fierce battle for the last potsticker produced a continuous sound of rapid clicks and tinks as the combatants flicked and grabbed, pushed and stabbed. Saber's technique was faster, but Misuzu, an experienced person of Japan, had more control and accuracy.

After ten seconds of this, during which each participants' face grew more aggressive, the potsticker was grabbed by both sets of chopsticks. The poor snack was tossed into the air, and Shirou swore he saw the poor thing crying in fear. It flew through the air, spun and tumbled, and landed squarely on Shirou's plate.

Shirou looked at the potsticker before him curiously. He didn't know how to react. He grabbed his utensils, picked up the potsticker, examined it, closed his eyes, and moved to place it in his mouth. Just before he could however, Lancer intercepted and stole it. Shirou bit down on empty chopsticks in surprise. He looked at Misuzu and Saber, who were looking at him wide eyed and shocked. The girls slowly turned to Lancer, and Shirou followed their gaze.

Lancer chewed happily on the potsticker. "So children", he said with a big grin, "What did we learn tonight?"

Shirou looked at his now empty plate, and then at the community plate, which was also completely empty. He wasn't sure how to feel about this. He was glad that everyone had enjoyed his cooking, but he had only gotten the one sample he had tried, and it didn't even have any of the dipping sauce he had prepared. His face turned from blank to disappointed and sad. He looked at the two girls with his sad puppy eyes, and both of them blushed embarrassedly.

The rest of the meal continued in a more lighthearted fashion, and the conversation turned to more mundane things between Shirou and Misuzu. Lancer and Saber agreed to continue their morning practices, as long as they remained light, so that they wouldn't be tired in case of an attack.

X X X

Later, Shirou walked across the yard to the shed. He was still a little surprised that he had managed to sneak away from Saber. For all her talk about protecting him at night, Saber kept sleeping as he snuck out of his room. He looked down at his left hand where his command seal was. "_I'm going to need to hide that_", he thought as he looked back to the shed.

He walked into the familiar darkness of the shed. He had missed practicing his magecraft the previous night, so even though he didn't really want to, he went out that night. For Shirou, magecraft was a mental training, so he didn't think it wise to skip it for menial reasons.

He sat down and cleared his mind. The usual image of a sword began forming in his mind, but he took a deep breath and pushed it away. He went about his usual practice of forming the hot iron rod in his spine, and then went about trying to reinforce objects around the shed, with only a little more success than he usually had.

Early in the night, there was a small knock on the door, which startled Shirou and made him completely destroy the small plank he had been trying to reinforce. It splintered and a few shards scratched his hand. He turned around to find Lancer standing in the door.

"What are you up to kid?" asked Lancer.

"Well", said Shirou with a sigh, "I was practicing my magic, but you've pretty much ruined that for the night."

"Oh. Sorry then", apologized Lancer. "I thought that was what you were doing, but I figured I'd come and ask a question if you weren't going to be sleeping; maybe have a little chat. My master posted me on guard duty up on the roof, and I saw you walk in here, in case you were wondering. I was going to ask you when you came back, but you've been in here for a while now."

Shirou was a little surprised by this. He hadn't thought Lancer had any intention of being too friendly with him throughout this war. Eat meals with him? Sure, especially after the praise had received earlier from the heroic spirit. "Oh, okay then", he eventually responded.

"I believe I know the answer, but I'm going to ask to confirm", said Lancer. When Shirou didn't interrupt, he continued. "Why is Saber sleeping right now? She mentioned earlier in the dojo before I left that she couldn't enter spirit form."

Shirou wasn't sure how to answer that. Should he just tell him all the circumstances? He thought about his relationship with Lancer and Misuzu. After considering everything, he couldn't think of a reason to hold back the information. He assumed they were going to find out eventually anyways. "Because I can't supply her with anymore mana", he said. "I don't know why, but according to Saber, the spiritual bond we should share is absent. To top it off, like you said, something else is wrong and she can't go into her spirit form."

Lancer looked at him critically. "It's worse than I thought then. She's going to get progressively weaker throughout this entire war."

Lancer considered the information. He had an ally who was stronger than him now, but over the course of the war she was going to get weaker and weaker until she wouldn't really be useful anymore. If this was going to be easy like he had come to expect it to be, it was going to have to end quickly. Time was now his enemy. He also wondered if their morning practice should continue at this point.

"Well, don't let her do anything to strenuous", suggested Lancer. "I'd like to keep her around. She's a strong ally, and I'm going to need her help if I'm going to beat Berserker."

Shirou wasn't sure what to make of Lancer's statement. Lancer was either genuinely worried for Saber, which Shirou doubted, or he was really hoping for her help in fighting the war, which made more sense. "I'll try not to leave you and your master fighting alone then", said Shirou as he rose from the cold floor, grunting slightly. "I'm going to go back to bed then, if that's your only question." Shirou stretched his arms. It may not have felt like a long time, but he guessed he had been out here at least an hour.

"Yeah, you can go", Lancer said, still pondering his ally's situation.

Shirou suddenly stopped. "Actually I have a question for you."

"Hmm? What's that then?"

"Well, I'm just going to ask it bluntly. Can I trust you, Lancer?" asked Shirou.

Lancer looked at Shirou with his head turned and arms crossed. "What the hell kind of question is that? I've saved you twice already", he said. "Although the second time", he mumbled, "It didn't go so well and my master helped."

"That's true, but just because Kusakabe-san is willing to work with me, it doesn't mean you're up to the idea", explained Shirou.

Lancer scratched the back of his head and relaxed, looking at Shirou. He could understand where the kid was coming from, but he thought of himself as a laid back person. He didn't want to get into a needless fight if he didn't have to. He thought of an easy way to calm Shirou's nerves. "Tell you what; I'll make a pact with you. I'll promise that my master and I won't attack you or Saber until the end of this war, if you promise that Saber and yourself will do the same in regards to us. The only exception will be if Saber and I become the last two standing, or if someone other than one of us four forces us into combat somehow."

Shirou examined his wording. From what he could tell, it was fairly simple and solid. Team Saber wouldn't attack team Lancer, and team Lancer wouldn't attack team Saber until the very end of the war, unless an outside enemy forced their hands. "Alright then, I can agree to that." As he offered his hand to Lancer, the spearman began to laugh.

Lancer took the hand he was offered and continued. "Really now, a handshake? I've got more effective measures than that."

Shirou felt a burst of magical energy from the servant, and then had a feeling as if something was settling inside of him. "What was that?" he asked, a little startled and scared.

"It was a geas," Lancer explained. "It's specialty of mine. If either one of the people involved breaks that pact, there will be negative repercussions, such as a large decrease in strength."

Shirou considered this. That was a pretty intense agreement, and Lancer's willingness to abide by it showed he was comfortable cooperating. "So just to make this clear, breaking this pact is going to be practically suicide, since the offender's strength would be sapped, right?"

"That's pretty much the gist of it", said Lancer. "Do you trust me now?" he asked with only one eye open and a cocky grin.

"Yeah", Shirou acknowledged, smiling. "Can I ask what that last clause in there was for though? The part about someone forcing us to fight."

"I don't think it'll happen, but a geas I make is pretty potent", explained Lancer. "If some strange circumstance implemented by someone else forced us into combat for a short while, then the one who made the first attack would be punished by the geas for likely the remainder of the war."

Shirou nodded his understanding. It made sense to cover all your bases. "Well then, I'll sleep easy knowing I have three allies around. Any preference for breakfast tomorrow?"

Lancer looked down and to the side in thought for a moment. "Bacon?"

Shirou gave one more nod and wandered back to his room for the night.


End file.
